Dave Welch - a small tribute

Everyone will tell you that they had a “best friend” growing up. Here is a picture of my best friend, Dave Welch. I will make this brief, but I just want to tell you all how much I loved this guy and how, after 33 years it still brings tears to my eyes to think that he died so young.

But it is not about his death that I wish to comment. It is his life that is so memorable. I could post some pretty funny pictures of a nerd right out of the early 70’s. Dave wore the high-water pants, glasses, and was long and gangly. When I was around him, I seemed to lose the very tentative hold I had on my inhibitions. He was so funny that it made me want to be the clown as well.

Dave was the smartest guy in our High School (at least in the class of ’72). I was close in math, but that's all. We were both in football, track, choir, and scouts. We got our Eagle Scout Award the same night. We had the same passions, right up to and including having the same girlfriends. (Yes, sometimes at the same time – not fun). Dave talked me into joining Key Club and then running for a state-wide office. I won. I didn’t have any idea what to do, but I did it anyway). I only ran because he told me to. Returning the favor, I talked him into trying out for All-State Choir. Dave was not a good singer. He was in our choir because he was a great drummer and he was needed for the Vocal Ensemble. When we got to Flagstaff, he performed the solo he had prepared and then had to try to "sight read" some very difficult music. He told me how embarrassing it was for him. We laughed so hard. Later that same day, there was an indoor High School track meet inside the doom at NAU. We had signed up. I threw the shot put and he threw the discus. Not until we and signed in did he discover that they don’t have the discus as an event in an indoor meet. (duh? Not too safe) So he decided to throw the shot put instead. As luck would have it, he followed the state record holder in this event, Bob Breunig. The announcer would stop all events every time it was Breunig’s turn to throw the shot put. After his taking his stance, hyperventilating, skipping, spinning, and emitting a guttural yell, the crowd would all applause. Then Dave stepped into the circle and in his faded orange sweats, he would just step to the front and push the shot put; no glide, no turn, and no yell.

Why are these memories so vivid? I think it is because he and I could laugh at each other. It was so easy for me to be around Dave. But that is not the whole truth.

When I looked at the degree of self-discipline Welch had, I recognized that if I didn’t gain that, I would never amount to much. I had talents that he did not have. In fact, we sort of had a mutual admiration thing going. But I had rules, religion, and family structure to keep me on some sort of a good path. Dave’s parents trusted him to do the right thing and to be responsible. So he did. We had other friends that were using drugs back in those days. I did not, mostly likely because of religious constraints. Dave had an internal guide that led him.

I could write pages about Dave. I must say that our friendship was called “The Brothers Three”. Richard Kenneth Harvey was as much a part of this friendship as Dave or I. Harvey and shared the same faith and many other things. He too was a football player (until his knees gave out), a track star, a singer (he was good enough to make all-state choir) and more. One of our favorite past times was to go through a list of all of the girls in our class and talk about which ones would be a good match for Harvey. If you ever ask me about the trip we took to California at Christmas 1977, you will see me laugh until I cry. What the heck, here is a shortened version. One night Harvey wanted to take the car and get some pop or something. After he Harvey left the motel it seemed that he was gone way too long. I know this may not make any sense, but Welch, Curtis Klofkorn, and I were playing cards and were wondering Harvey was gone so long. We should have been worried. Harvey sometimes did not have the best luck. We start guessing what bad thing could have happened and kept speculating about worse and worse possibilities. When he came through the motel door, he had this look on his face and announced that he had been robbed. There was a moment of silence followed by the three of us bursting out laughing and literally rolling around on the floor repeating that Harvey had been robbed. He was not amused. Maybe you had to be there.

As I remember Dave, the critical role of friends looms large in my life. Thank you, friends, for all you have done for me. If I start a roll call, I will surely omit one of you. You know who you are.

And thanks to all of you friends of Marilyn, Rhett, Sandee, Gary, Angela, Troy, Trevor, and Brandon. I recognize that substantial, even enormous credit that is due to your friends.