Bill Welch

A little more than five years ago Bill Welch died. He was 67. I first met Bill at the 1980 APS convention and we were friends for thirty years. Bill at the time was editor and publisher of the Center County Daily Times, the newspaper in State College, Pa. He was mayor of State College and for many years he was the editor of the American Philatelist, where he enjoyed a worldwide philatelic reputation. He was an avid stamp collector. He would collect anything – but his main interest was worldwide cancellations and anything relating to nineteenth century Latin America. He was a great philatelist with more arcane interests in this hobby than anyone I have ever met. But it is not as a philatelist that I most remember him. Everyone of us has a list of the most special people they have ever met in their lives and Bill headed my list. He was brilliant. He was kind. He was funny, compassionate and good. He was a good husband, father and friend. He was the sort of man, you know them (but not enough of them), who makes you smile every time you see them and in whose presence you feel warm, cared about and happy. He was an unusual person, and even six years after his death I still miss him very much.