D.A. ‘Del’ Weber; Ex-Head of California Teachers Assn.

D. A. “Del” Weber, who recently served as president of the powerful 240,000-member California Teachers Assn., has died at the age of 65.

Weber died unexpectedly of unknown causes Wednesday at his home in Huntington Beach.

During his tenure as head of the state teachers union from 1991 until last June, Weber led the group’s successful opposition to Proposition 174, the controversial school voucher initiative that was trounced at the polls in 1993.

Weber devoted his life to young people and their welfare. He raised four children of his own in addition to seven children he adopted, and opened his home to about a dozen troubled foster children. He was first and foremost a teacher.

“Del Weber was one of the most decent people I have ever known,” said current CTA President Lois Tinson. “He devoted his entire life to helping children. . . .”

Weber started teaching in a one-room school in Wyoming when he was only 19. After service in the Army during the Korean War, he eventually moved to California, where he taught math and computers at Anaheim High School and math at Rancho Santiago College.

He became active in a teachers union in Orange County, chairing the negotiating team for the Anaheim Secondary Teachers Assn. He later became president of that group.

Weber was elected to the CTA board of directors in 1972 and became vice president in 1986. He was unopposed for president in 1991 and in 1993.

He was unusual as a teachers union leader in that he was a Republican who was against taxes and bilingual education. Never afraid of irking colleagues in politics or education, Weber led a splinter group of prominent Orange County Republicans who supported Democrat Bill Clinton for president in 1992.

Off-duty, Weber composed classical music for the piano, dabbled at writing spy novels and developed computer programs.

He also operated a church out of his garage that was known as the Brotherhood of Peace and Tranquillity.

In addition to his 11 children, Weber is survived by his mother, Dorothy, of his native Rapid City, S.D., 10 brothers and sisters, and 13 grandchildren.