The Final Scene...
On Friday night, March 15, 2002, this incredible visionary closed his eyes one last time. At the time of his departure he'd reached almost 94 years old and made it back to the West Coast; specifically he called Santa Barbara his home. His life did not end with NBC. A visionary always, and a man who continued to call a challenge a 'green-light,' Weaver continued his endeavors in persuasive communication throughout his long life. In 1958, he helped his friend Nelson Rockefeller in Rockefeller's bid for governor of New York. Rockefeller knew that Weaver's gifts for persuading and communicating to the public were intuitive. His faith was well placed, for Rockefeller became the state's new governor. Weaver notes that Nelson was made for television and "television certainly elected him" (p. 272). From 1958 to 1963, Weaver took on the role as chair of McCann Erickson. This opportunity put him in the middle of the continuing growth in the communications' business sector. McCann Erickson's global emphasis added new insights to Weaver's store of knowledge. He also learned about the international aspects of the telecommunications revolution from another innovator, McCann Erickson's Marion Harper. Weaver was approached in 1963 and offered the opportunity to head the first major pay television company in the United States, Subscription TV. A challenge this certainly ended up being; the resistance with which Subscription TV was met made any resistance that Weaver had run into about his participation-advertising concept pale in comparison. Eventually, the company's efforts proved unsuccessful; the world of the early-sixties just wasn't quite ready for subscription (cable) television. The visionary was too far ahead of his time that time. In 1998, Pat Weaver was given a special Emmy Award to recognize his role in making sure that television made it to the mainstream. He was admitted to the Television Hall of Fame in 1985, at around the same time the Smithsonian was featuring a special exhibit outlining his life and contributions. As time marched on, Weaver continued to involve himself in many new projects having to do with electronic media. Pat Weaver was never one to run from a challenge. Perhaps it is this personality trait that helped secure him so many years of life and helped this world secure so many years of Pat Weaver. One wonders if Weaver smiled when he realized that he had lived long enough to see the day when 98% of all U.S. households have a television set (Nielsen Media Research, 1998). [Author's Note: My condolences to the family of Pat Weaver for your loss. I will always hold much admiration and respect for Mr. Weaver; his views, determination and accomplishments have deeply affected the way I see this world. (March 16, 2002)]
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