Longtime KU donor Bud Weir, 86, dies

A Kansas University alumnus and longtime KU supporter, Ralph L. “Bud” Weir Jr., 86, died Wednesday at his home in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Weir graduated from KU in 1944 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After serving in the Navy, he built a 1,000-watt radio station in 1949 in Junction City and later founded the Junction City Cable Television Co. It eventually expanded to become Communication Services Inc. in four states. Weir sold the business in 1979.

He and his wife, Barbara, who survives, also have supported KU’s School of Journalism and the Spencer Museum of Art, according to the KU Endowment Association. Their lifetime memberships include the Chancellors Club, KU’s major-donor organization and the Jayhawk Society of the KU Alumni Association.

He was a trustee emeritus of KU Endowment.