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Fred Weiss devoted his life to ensuring the future success of radio, television and film.
The radio-television-film professor died Sunday at 65 of an undetermined illness.
His death was abrupt and unforeseen, Professor John Onderdonk, KSYM station manager, said.
Onderdonk said the illness began in the summer and interfered with the beginning of the fall term.
"He called and said, 'Look, I'm very ill and I'm in a hospital in New York," Onderdonk said. "The doctors didn't seem to know what it was … it was terribly unexpected."
In the past 20 years, Weiss has been an integral cog in the RTF program.
Onderdonk has known Weiss since the late 1980s. He began teaching here in 1985.
Weiss created the music business program at this college, Onderdonk said. It was a long-term dream for the professor.
Establishing the program with the state of Texas required a lot of planning and programming, Onderdonk said.
In the community, Weiss held close ties with organizations such as the Texas Association of Broadcasters, where he arranged for seminars every year for students on campus.
The former Peace Corps volunteer also was regularly involved with the Explorer Scouts in the city and coordinated a troop for the media.
He befriended members in the San Antonio Film Commission, and a few years ago, was able to bring 14 students to the production of "The Quiet," a film production from three years ago that was released just last year.
Over the years, Weiss has been a well-known advocate for student recruitment and retention.
In April 2002, after creating a Web site to increase student awareness on campus, Weiss was approached to assist in the creation of a digital billboard for the Fiesta San Antonio celebration downtown.
At the same time, he pushed for a transition from 8mm film to digital video for its cost-effectiveness and time savings.
Weiss owned his own record label in the 1980s called Belt Drive Records, Onderdonk said.
Courtland Records, a college-owned record label, was an effort Weiss founded in August 2006 to give music business students real-world experience.
Weiss was a kid at heart, and music was his mentor, Onderdonk said.
If there were local trivia contests arranged around music, Weiss would sweep the participants. He knew these things off the top of his head, Onderdonk said.
"It's going to be tough to fill his shoes because he was the motive force behind the music business," he said.
After Weiss' father passed away in his 90s, Weiss always thought he would live well into retirement age, Onderdonk said.
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