Roland W. Betts
Encyclopedia
Roland Whitney Betts is an investor
, film producer
, developer, and owner of Chelsea Piers
in New York City
. A classmate and Delta Kappa Epsilon
(DKE) fraternity
brother of George W. Bush
, Betts was the lead owner in Bush's Texas Rangers
partnership. He is a graduate of St. Paul's School
('64), Yale
('68) and Columbia Law School
('78).
Roland and Lois Betts celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2002. They have two daughters, Margaret and Jessica.
, Long Island.
In 1968, after graduating from Yale, Mr. Betts worked as a teacher and assistant principal until 1975. In 1978 Betts wrote Acting Out: Coping with Big City Schools, a book which explores his experiences in the public school system. After graduating from Columbia Law School
in 1978, he practiced law in the entertainment department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
until leaving to finance movies. In 1980 he was named the President of International Film Investors, Inc., which produced and financed movies like Gandhi
and The Killing Fields
. In 1983 he founded Silver Screen Management, Inc. (see Silver Screen Partners
) with Thomas Bernstein, which financed and produced over 75 films with the Walt Disney Company, including Pretty Woman
, The Rocketeer
, and Three Men and a Baby
.
The Texas Rangers
were purchased in 1989 by a group of investors assembled by Roland W. Betts and George W. Bush. For nine years, Betts was lead owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club
. Since 1992 Roland W. Betts is Founder and Chairman of Chelsea Piers
Inc. which developed and operates the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment complex.
Betts is the Senior Fellow of the Yale Corporation
, an advisory board member of Yale School of Management
, and is a Trustee of numerous organizations including: the American Museum of Natural History
, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
, Columbia University Law School, and the National Park Foundation
. Mr. Betts has recently been appointed as a Trustee and Treasurer of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
.
From 2001 to 2005 Betts was one of George Pataki
's appointments to the Board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
. In that capacity, Mr. Betts chaired the Site Committee charged with the rebuilding of the World Trade Center
site.
Roland W. Betts was also a heavy contributor to the Bush election campaign in 2000, helping raise more than $100,000 to that campaign, also putting down about $50,000 for the Bush Inauguration celebration.
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, developer, and owner of Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City that was a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by the RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the RMS Titanic....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A classmate and Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
(DKE) fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
brother of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Betts was the lead owner in Bush's Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
partnership. He is a graduate of St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
('64), Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
('68) and Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
('78).
Roland and Lois Betts celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2002. They have two daughters, Margaret and Jessica.
Biography
Betts, the son of an investment banker for the Vincent Astor Foundation, grew up in SyossetSyosset, New York
Syosset is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, in the northeastern section of Town of Oyster Bay near the North Shore of Long Island. The population was 18,829 at the 2010 census...
, Long Island.
In 1968, after graduating from Yale, Mr. Betts worked as a teacher and assistant principal until 1975. In 1978 Betts wrote Acting Out: Coping with Big City Schools, a book which explores his experiences in the public school system. After graduating from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in 1978, he practiced law in the entertainment department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a law firm headquartered on Sixth Avenue in New York City. The firm has well-noted expertise in its corporate, personal representation, entertainment law and litigation practices, having long been a leader among national litigation firms...
until leaving to finance movies. In 1980 he was named the President of International Film Investors, Inc., which produced and financed movies like Gandhi
Gandhi (film)
Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both...
and The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields (film)
The Killing Fields is a 1984 British drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg. The film, which won three Academy Awards, was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Sam Waterston as...
. In 1983 he founded Silver Screen Management, Inc. (see Silver Screen Partners
Silver Screen Partners
Silver Screen Partners, L.P. was organized in June 1983 to provide full financing for and own feature-length theatrical motion pictures through Walt Disney Pictures and their subsidiary Touchstone Pictures. A public offering of units of limited partnership interests was completed in June 1983,...
) with Thomas Bernstein, which financed and produced over 75 films with the Walt Disney Company, including Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
, The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer (film)
The Rocketeer is a 1991 period superhero adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the character of the same name created by comic book writer/artist Dave Stevens. Directed by Joe Johnston, the film stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino...
, and Three Men and a Baby
Three Men and a Baby
Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 comedy film starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Nancy Travis , and Ted Danson, and directed by Leonard Nimoy, in his first non-Star Trek movie directorial role. It follows the mishaps and adventures of three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to...
.
The Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
were purchased in 1989 by a group of investors assembled by Roland W. Betts and George W. Bush. For nine years, Betts was lead owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. Since 1992 Roland W. Betts is Founder and Chairman of Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City that was a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by the RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the RMS Titanic....
Inc. which developed and operates the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment complex.
Betts is the Senior Fellow of the Yale Corporation
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, sometimes, and more formally, known as The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.The Corporation comprises 19 members:...
, an advisory board member of Yale School of Management
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The School offers Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. degree programs. As of January 2011, 454 students were enrolled in its MBA...
, and is a Trustee of numerous organizations including: the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
, Columbia University Law School, and the National Park Foundation
National Park Foundation
Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s nearly 400 national parks. Funds contributed to the Foundation are invested directly into the national parks...
. Mr. Betts has recently been appointed as a Trustee and Treasurer of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
.
From 2001 to 2005 Betts was one of George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
's appointments to the Board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was formed in July 2002, after the September 11 attacks to plan the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan and distribute nearly $10 billion in federal funds aimed at rebuilding downtown Manhattan....
. In that capacity, Mr. Betts chaired the Site Committee charged with the rebuilding of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
site.
Roland W. Betts was also a heavy contributor to the Bush election campaign in 2000, helping raise more than $100,000 to that campaign, also putting down about $50,000 for the Bush Inauguration celebration.
External links
- Fortune Magazine about Cipiriani accusing Betts of using his influences to kill the competition
- Roland W. Betts executive profile
- http://web.archive.org/web/20030407061751/http://renewnyc.com/AboutUs/board.shtml#ROLANDProfile at Lower Manhattan Development Corp. (from the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
)] - Reconstruction Watch bio (PDF)
- Acting Out: Coping with Big City Schools - NY Review of Books 1978
- Yale bio with photo
- NY Daily News, March 6, 2005 Two titans fight to build huge complex next to Chelsea Piers