‘He was there when we needed him’ — Friends remember late A&M-San Antonio student as inspiring, warm

Abel Meza inspired confidence in his friends with his enthusiasm, and didn’t let struggles keep him from having a good time.

Meza, who also went by Lucifer Knight, was a sophomore majoring in Spanish at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. He died May 5 in a car accident after crashing into a utility pole and then a tree on South Zarzamora Street.

Meza, 26, was a non-active brother in the Omega Delta Phi fraternity and president of LA CALLE, which he started in spring 2024.

Theo Stevens, a 2024 A&M-San Antonio graduate, met Meza in fall 2021 when Stevens was a supplemental instructional leader and Meza was a Spanish tutor at the Academic Learning Center.

“The friendship I had with Luci was a close yet chaotic friendship,” Stevens said, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in math and a minor in women’s and gender studies. “He was like a brother to me the moment we started hanging out. We never had to hide the darker stuff from each other. If one of us was going through it, we were there for each other.”

Stevens, who became a student tutor in fall 2022 and will continue to tutor math through summer 2024, recalls the stories they shared in their three years of friendship.

“It was three years of a lot of growth for the both of us, so it felt much longer,” Stevens said.

“When you find people that will always be a part of your life, the time that you have known each other may not be that long, but they feel like they’re always there.”

One of Stevens’ favorite stories was when Meza worked in Austin last summer.

“Every Tuesday we always made sure to check in on each other,” Stevens said. “On one of those Tuesdays, he texted me saying that he was ready to come back to campus so I told him that me and our friends were on the way to pick him up.”

Meza, who had a keen fashion sense, was waiting for them in one of his diverse outfits.

“He was wearing one of his more eclectic outfits highlighted by a fishing shirt, baggy shorts and huaraches,” Stevens said. “I will never forget that outfit because it was perfect for him. Chaotic but fitting somehow.”

Meza loved attending A&M-San Antonio, Stevens said.

“We would joke around in the Academic Learning Center that he was on a 15-year track to graduation because he was in no hurry to graduate, but he did want to graduate with honors,” Stevens said.

Stevens said Meza would retake courses if he thought his grade was too low.

“Last spring semester we took the same Spanish class together, which he purposely signed up for just in case I needed help, he was there,” Stevens said. “Not only did he help me understand the work, but he also made the class more engaging and fun.”

Stevens planned Meza’s 26th SpongeBob-themed birthday party with the hope of seeing a smile on his face.

“You would think we were kids who got a hold of our parents’ credit cards with the amount of food we bought for his party,” Stevens said.

As they decorated the Academic Learning Center, Stevens glanced at Meza setting up his decorations and remarked on his joyous expression.

“He always had a happy demeanor and lit up every room he walked into, but that morning he was absolutely glowing with joy,” Stevens said. “And I remember later that day he posted to his Instagram pictures he had taken throughout the day and said that it was the best birthday he had ever had.”

Meza’s jovial energy always made everyone’s day better, Stevens said.

“You could not have a bad day when he was around, because he was going to say something or do something that was going to make you laugh. Even in his absence, I can hear him in my head cracking jokes when I’m feeling down.”

Meza also lifted up fellow students by launching the new club, LA CALLE. The Mesquite interviewed Meza about LA CALLE for a story that did not get published.

“LA CALLE seeks to help students expand their ability to communicate with others by providing a community where they can learn and practice new languages with other students who strive towards a common goal,” Meza said in the March 4 interview.

He said the club was not limited to just one language but for students who want to learn various Latin American languages, such as Portuguese and French.

Brandan Salazar, vice president of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity and senior communications major, said he heard about Meza’s death in a news story.

“Initially, I thought it was a joke, I didn’t think it was real and a lot of my fraternity brothers in our group chat thought it was a joke as well,” Salazar said.

Police said Meza was speeding heading north on South Zarzamora in a 45 mph speed limit zone.

While on patrol, investigator Eric Padilla was dispatched to a major accident. When he arrived on the scene, EMS and firefighters were prying open the driver’s side door. Meza was taken out of the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene at 10:38 p.m.

“Meza was turning on the curve and the front right wheel went on the grass and dirt on the side of the road and straightened out the vehicle,” Padilla wrote in a police report. “Then turned clockwise with the force of impact concentrated on the driver side making contact with the tree.”

Omega Delta Phi hosted a memorial service May 17 at the President’s Rose Garden on campus.

“It was really cool that we had it on campus,” Salazar said. “We had a lot of brothers come out and talk.”

Meza’s sisters and some family attended the memorial.

“I wasn’t able to go because I was out of town. But from what my fraternity brothers told me, it was a good service and a lot of people showed up and supported us in memorializing him.”

Meza convinced Salazar with his charismatic flair to join the fraternity.

“I’m all about it and I love it and I would die for this fraternity,” Salazar said. “But I remember him talking it up so hard and being like, ‘Omega Delta Phi is where it’s at!’

“And I didn’t believe him at the time, but after his passing and after being in the fraternity for so long, it really showed me that the bond with Omega Delta Phi is indestructible.”

Meza did not currently have an official role in the fraternity but was considered an inactive brother.

“He was there when we needed him,” Salazar said. “He would show up to all our tablings and outings.

“Even the meetings that he wasn’t required to go to, he still showed up to a lot of those.”

Meza volunteered for the Paws Up Service Day and swayed Salazar into volunteering. Meza said the experience was a way to give back to the community and it would look impressive on Salazar’s transcripts.

“He literally came to my dorm room and hyped me up to go and thanks to him I actually had a great time at Paws Service,” Salazar said. “Now every time I go, I will always think of him.”

Meza influenced Salazar to be himself and not worry about others’ opinions.

“(His confidence) showed me to like not care about what other people think about what you’re wearing or how you speak,” Salazar said.