Herbert Weiss

Last updated
Herbert Weiss
Born
Herbert P. Weiss

(1954-06-25) June 25, 1954 (age 69)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater Hillcrest High School
University of Texas at Austin
North Texas State University
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Occupations
  • Author
  • journalist
SpousePatricia S. Zacks (D'Angelo)
Children2
Parent(s)Frank Weiss
Sally Weiss

Herbert "Herb" P. Weiss (born June 25, 1954) is an American author and journalist. He is best known for his work as a writer and as an arts and cultural ambassador for the city of Pawtucket.

Contents

Early life and education

Weiss was born on June 25, 1954, in Dallas, [1] Texas to the late Frank and Sally Weiss. [2]

In 1972 he graduated from Hillcrest High School [3] and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in psychology with a social work certificate from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977. [4] Later he received a master’s degree in 1979 from North Texas State University. [5] Weiss also completed 24 credits of a doctorate in public policy and aging from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Journalistic career

Weiss published his first article in 1980 on aging. [6] and worked as a journalist for the next 40 years. He has authored or co-authored more than 1,059 articles on aging, health care and medical issues. Weiss’ columns regularly appear in newspapers throughout Rhode Island [7] [8] [9] [10] and news blogs. [11] [12] [13] He writes a weekly “Age Beat” commentary covering issues that impact America’s baby boomers and seniors, published in the Pawtucket Times [14] and Woonsocket Call. [15]

The American College of Health Care Administrators recognized his work with 1994 and 1999 National Journalism Awards. [16] He received the 1998 Distinguished Alumnus award from the Department of Applied Gerontology at the University of North Texas in 1998, and the AARP Rhode Island’s 2004 Vision Award. [17]

Weiss has served on the editorial advisory boards of the following publications covering long-term care: The Brown LTC Quality Letter (1993); McKnight’s LTC News (1992–2000); Aging Network News (1991–1993); The Journal of Long Term Care Administrators (1985–1995); and Contemporary Long Term Care (1983–1990). In January 1997, McKnight’s LTC News named Weiss one of its “100 Most Influential People” in the Long-Term Care industry. [18]

Since 2018, Weiss has been a member of the Order of the Occult Hand.

Weiss oversaw editorial content for seven nationally published trade newsletters and newspapers. These include Founding Editor of Aging Network News (1985 to 1988); editor of three medical-related national newsletters on CPT and CPR coding, as well as Medicare reimbursement issues for physicians (1988 to 1990); editor of Senior Law Report and Marketing to Seniors (1990-1991); managing editor of Brown LTQ Quality Letter (1993); the Blackstone Valley beat for the Providence Journal (1994) and Founding Editor of Senior Living, now called Prime Time (1997 to 1998).

Weiss also covered Capitol Hill writing the Capitol Report for The Journal of Long Term Care Administration (later renamed Balance) from 1990 to 1998, and Washington Report for Contemporary Long Term Care from 1986 to 1987. As a journalist, he was accredited by the House Press Gallery (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991) to cover Congress. A collection of his articles resides at the Adams Library Special Collections in Rhode IslandAdams Library.

Books

In 2014, Weiss co-edited an e-book with Dr. Nancy Carriuolo, then president of Rhode Island College, detailing the emails of Richard Walton, a well-known Rhode Island social activist.

In 2016, Weiss published a collection of his articles for seniors called Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly. [19] [20]

Weiss published an additional anthology of his collected articles and columns in 2021 called Taking Charge, Volume 2: More Stories on Aging Boldly [21]

Municipal career

On January 4, 1999, Weiss was charged by Pawtucket, RI Mayor James E. Doyle [22] with oversight of the city of Pawtucket’s newly established 307-acre Arts and Entertainment District. Over the years, he has been a driver of Pawtucket’s arts-oriented development strategy. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] In particular, his efforts to bring artists to the city’s historic mill buildings have attracted national attention. [28] [29] [30] Weiss was among those featured by filmmaker Jason Caminiti in Pawtucket Rising, a 2008 documentary.

Weiss was part of the group that created the month-long Pawtucket Arts Festival (PAF) in 1999, and later received its inaugural Medal of Excellence Award in 2015. [31] [32]

Weiss was the first recipient of the non-profit Pawtucket Foundation’s Person of the Year award. [33] In 2005, the All Children’s Theatre awarded him the Advocacy in the Arts Action Award, and in 2013 he was recognized with an Excellence in Arts and Business award from the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. [34]

Weiss also serves as the liaison between the city and filmmakers wanting to use Pawtucket as a location in movies, television shows and commercials. For his advocacy and support of the film industry, the non-profit Rhode Island Film Collaborative gave Weiss its first Excellence Award in 2010. [35] In 2016, the Rhode Island International Film Festival recognized his efforts to promote the Rhode Island film industry by awarding him its Producer’s Circle Award. [36]

Weiss was also invited by other municipalities around the region to discuss Pawtucket’s arts policy and its economic impact on the city. These invitations took him to: Maine - Portland; Pennsylvania – Philadelphia and Oil City: Rhode Island – Providence, Cranston, Newport, and Woonsocket; New York - New York City; New Jersey - Camden and Millville; Massachusetts - New Bedford, Fall River and Rockport. [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

In September 2022 Weiss was appointed Deputy Director of Senior Services at the Leon Mathieu Senior Center. [43]

State appointments

Weiss was appointed by five governors to serve on the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Aging. The appointments were made by Governors Bruce Sundlun (1994), Lincoln Almond (1999, 2000), Donald L. Carcieri (2005), Gina Raimondo (2016), and Daniel J. McKee (2022).

Weiss was appointed by Rhode Island Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio in November 2021 to serve on the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Treatment. [44]

Professional licenses / Certifications

Weiss was licensed as a nursing home administrator in Washington, D.C., from 1981 to 1987 and from 1993 to 1999 in Rhode Island.

Weiss is a 2012 graduate of the Theta II Class of Leadership Rhode Island.

Personal life

Weiss is married to Patricia S. Zacks (D’Angelo) of Pawtucket, Rhode Island and has two step children, Ben (born 1983) and Samantha (born 1981). [45] He has lived in Pawtucket since 1995.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawtucket, Rhode Island</span> City in Rhode Island

Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls and Lincoln to the north, and North Providence to the west. The city also borders the Massachusetts municipalities of Seekonk and Attleboro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackstone River</span> River in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, USA

The Blackstone River in the United States flows through the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is 48 mi (77 km) long with a drainage area of 540 sq mi (1,400 km2) and drains into the Seekonk River at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Its long history of industrial use has caused significant pollution, with the United States Environmental Protection Agency describing it as “the most polluted river in the country because of high concentrations of toxic sediments.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Almond</span> American attorney and politician (1936–2023)

Lincoln Carter Almond was an American attorney and politician who served as the 72nd Governor of Rhode Island from 1995 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 1969 to 1978 and again from 1981 until 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhode Island Route 99</span> State highway in Providence County, Rhode Island, US

Route 99, also known as the Woonsocket Industrial Highway, is a 2.9-mile-long (4.7 km) freeway in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. Route 99 serves Manville and the Highland Industrial Park, providing freeway access to the city of Woonsocket from Rhode Island Route 146, which bypasses the city. The southern terminus of Route 99 is at a partial interchange with Route 146 in Lincoln. The freeway has one interchange in Manville, a village in Lincoln, before terminating at an at-grade intersection with Rhode Island Route 122 in Woonsocket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhode Island Route 114</span> State highway in Rhode Island, US

Route 114 is a 45.7-mile-long (73.5 km) numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It connects the city of Newport to the city of Woonsocket. Route 114 was a major north–south artery for its entire length until the arrival of the Interstate Highway System. It is still a major commercial corridor on Aquidneck Island and in northern Rhode Island.

The Call is an American daily newspaper published seven days per week in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, covering northern Providence County, Rhode Island, and some adjacent towns in Massachusetts.

<i>The Times</i> (Pawtucket) American daily newspaper published in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

The Times is an American daily newspaper published Mondays through Saturdays in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, covering eastern Providence County, Rhode Island, and some adjacent towns in Massachusetts. It was owned by RISN Operations and is currently owned by Triboro Massachusetts News Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community College of Rhode Island</span> Public community college in Rhode Island, US

The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with additional college buildings throughout the state.

Breeze Publications is a privately owned publisher based in Lincoln, Rhode Island, serving northern and western Providence County with five free tabloid-format weekly newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackstone River Greenway</span> Partially completed paved rail trail from Worcester, MA, US to Providence, RI, US

The Blackstone River Greenway is a partially completed 48-mile (77 km) paved rail trail defining the course of the East Coast Greenway through the Blackstone Valley from Worcester, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William E. Tolman High School</span> Public school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States

William E. Tolman Senior High School is one of three public high schools located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States. It was built and opened in 1926 along the east bank of the Blackstone River as a "state of the art" educational facility. The building originally consisted of four floors and a basement, 60 class rooms, a 1,300-seat auditorium, a swimming pool, and a nursery for the children of teenage mothers. The swimming pool was closed in 2018 due to several repairs made and it still leaked. The nursery was closed around 2012 in order for Rhode Island’s only MCJROTC to use the area in the basement. Tolman High School is the first multimillion-dollar high school east of the Mississippi and the gym is the oldest high school gym in Rhode Island that is still in use. The school has been remodeled several times with the most recent being in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island.

Rhode Island Mayoral Academies (RIMA) are publicly funded charter schools in the state of Rhode Island that have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other charter schools in order to better attract nonprofit charter management organizations with a track record of success. The legislation creating mayoral academies was championed by a coalition of community and business leaders led by Cumberland, RI Mayor Daniel McKee and passed into law as part of the 2009 Rhode Island state budget, which was approved on June 17, 2008.

<i>Pawtucket Rising</i> 2008 American film

Pawtucket Rising is a 2008 documentary film directed and produced by Jason Caminiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Forbes Hogan</span> American architect

John Forbes Hogan was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William R. Walker (architect)</span> American architect

William R. Walker was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island, who was later the senior partner of William R. Walker & Son.

James E. Doyle was an American educator, businessman, and politician. Doyle served as the mayor of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, from 1997 until 2011, becoming the longest consecutive serving mayor in the city's history. Doyle also served in the Pawtucket city council from 1970 to 1997 by winning re-election to the council in thirteen elections. Doyle has been credited with shepherding the revitalization of Pawtucket, as well as the expansion of the city's arts scene, during his thirteen years as the mayor.

Lisa Baldelli-Hunt is an American politician and former Mayor of Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

References

  1. "Power Player". GoLocalProv.
  2. "obituary". Dallas News.
  3. "Hillcrest Highschool". Yearbook.
  4. "U Texas Graduates". North Texas University.
  5. "Government Advocate to Help Grow Arts". Providence Business News.
  6. "An AIT's View of the Word". Contemporary Administrator for Long Term Care (September 1980): 2. September 1980.
  7. "Herb Weiss". Warwick Beacon.
  8. "Herb Weiss". Cranston Herald.
  9. "Herb Weiss". Senior Digest News.
  10. ""Ammachi: Holy Woman Draws Hundreds to Bryant," August 6, 1995 Cover Story in the Sunday Brunch Section, Providence Journal; "Arts Districts Cost Effective Way to Enhance Economy," April 22, 2008, Providence Journal, "My Turn: Ballpark Changes Equation for Pawtucket," April 7, 2018, Providence Journal; "Buy Locally: Keep Cash in the Economy," December 22, 2010, Providence Journal". Providence Journal.
  11. Weiss, Herb (June 11, 2019). "Herb Weiss: Religious groups urge House to combat antisemitism and racism".
  12. "Herb Weiss".
  13. "You searched for herb weiss". RINewsToday.com.
  14. "Herb Weiss". Pawtucket Times.
  15. "Herb Weiss". Woonsocket Call.
  16. "Herb Weiss" (PDF).
  17. "2004 Vision Award". AARP Connections Rhode Island. Winter 2004: 1.
  18. "100 Most Influential People". McKnight's LTC News. 18: 14. January 1997.
  19. "Columnist Weiss Pens Book". Pawtucket Times.
  20. "East Siders in the Know October 2016". East Side Monthly.
  21. "On getting older, he wrote the book". Pawtucket Times. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  22. "City of Pawtucket" . Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  23. Kari, Kline. "They Make Art for Pawtucket's Sake". The Slater Trader. June 2004: 1.
  24. "Go Local Providence" . Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  25. Donnis, Ian (October 10, 2003). "The Sparkplug: Herb Weiss Has Helped to Remake Pawtucket as a More Artist Friend Community". No. October 10, 2003, P. 28. The Providence Phoenix.
  26. Dionne, Nicole (June 4, 2007). "Pawtucket's Revival Coming Together 'Like a Mosaic'". No. June 4–10, 2007, P. 4. Providence Business News.
  27. "Editorial: Pawtucket's Success is not an Accident". No. June 4–10, 2007, P. 36. Providence Business News. June 4, 2007.
  28. Harless, William (December 1, 2013). "Rhode Island Drops Sales Tax on Original Art" via www.wsj.com.
  29. "Where have Boston's artists gone? - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  30. Abbott, Elizabeth (2016-09-27). "Old Mills Remade in Pawtucket". The New York Times.
  31. "Pawtucket Arts Festival to honor Weiss". Pawtucket Times.
  32. "Pawtucket Arts Festival fundraiser will honor Herb Weiss". The Valley Breeze.
  33. "PBN on Weiss". Providence Business News.
  34. "Weiss to be Honored by Blackstone Valley Tourism Council". Pawtucket Times.
  35. "RI Film Collaborative's Black and White in Space Bash". Go Local Providence.
  36. "Flickers Names Award Winners". Providence Business News. 2016-08-19.
  37. Powers/correspondent, Keith. "seARTS meeting explores districts devoted to arts communities". Wicked Local.
  38. "2010 Annual Conference :: Providence, RI :: Alliance of Artists Communities". www.artistcommunities.org.
  39. "Muskie CE Report" (PDF).
  40. "Pawtucket: Rhode Island's Creative Community | NEFA". www.nefa.org.
  41. "Art In Ruins News Archive". www.artinruins.com.
  42. "MW3 Arts as Economic Development in Pawtucket, Rhode Island". American Planning Association.
  43. "Weiss to join staff at Mathieu Senior Center". Pawtucket Times.
  44. "Herb Weiss - aging boldly!". RINewsToday.com. 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  45. "Weiss Wedding". Pawtucket Times.