Bill Welch

Who was Bill Welch?

William Lee Welch, Jr. was a U.S. politician and former mayor of State College, Pennsylvania, most recently reelected in 2007. He had been the mayor since he was first elected in 1994, before which he was a member of the borough council. Mayor Welch died on September 4, 2009 at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, after suffering complications from leg surgery. He was 67 years old. A link to a video of the community celebration of his life is at: http://www.statecollegepa.us/index.aspx?NID=1269

Welch was born in Philadelphia, but spent most of his life in State College and is a graduate of State College High School in 1959 and of Penn State University in 1964. He formerly worked as editor of the Centre Daily Times newspaper for over 25 years and then of the American Philatelist, a magazine published by the American Philatelic Society.