John Weiss, retired University of Delaware art professor who had a distinguished career in photography, passed away May 27 in California.

Prof. Weiss retired from the Delaware faculty in 2005 after a 30-year career as a professor of art and coordinator of photography. He led several photography tours around the globe.

In a 2012 talk to the University of Delaware Association of Retired Faculty about his life and career, Prof. Weiss said, “Would it surprise you to learn that photography is a hobby, a blessing and a spiritual path? The most wonderful thing I find when I travel is that we are all so different and that we are all so alike.”

He began his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an apprentice to photography legend and educator Minor White, and he earned his M.F.A. at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Prof. Weiss was named Teacher of the Year by the Santa Fe Center for Photography, and his work is included in the Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Bibliotheque Nationale.