Ralph was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, on May 29, 1943. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1965, where he majored in Speech and Education. After teaching one year of high school English and Speech classes in Detroit, his military service led him to Vietnam as a Broadcast specialist for the American Forces Vietnam Network. In 1969 he joined WJIM-TV in Lansing, Michigan where he worked as a reporter, anchor and news director. It was during this time that he met and married Mindy, his wife of 21 years, who also worked at the station. Next, in 1974 he moved to WSBT-TV is Southbend, Indiana and anchored the 6PM and 11Pm newscasts for five years. He also attended Notre Dame Law School as a part-time student while working full-time.
Ralph came to KCNC-TV in Denver in June of 1979. He worked as weekend anchor his first year, and then became News 4’s first Political Specialist. The highlights of his career have included the numerous political conventions and inaugurations he has covered, his trip to Japan with Governor-Elect Roy Romer, and traveling with the Gary Hart campaign. Most recently, he was honored by the Colorado State Legislature and Governor Roy Romer for his 16 years of political reports and service.
Ralph resided in Littleton with his wife Mindy and their daughter Lori. He was an avid reader with a love of history, politics, local affairs and baseball. He was a big Tigers fan and enjoyed collecting baseball cards, memorabilia and statistics. Ralph is greatly missed by his wife, daughter, friends and viewers.