In memoriam: William Henry Welch Jr.
William Henry Welch Jr., an emeritus faculty member at the University of Nevada–Reno, died in hospice June 3 of Parkinson’s disease and cancer. He was 80.
Welch, known to friends as Bill, was born in 1940 in Hollywood, California, to William Henry Sr. and Lola Ellsworth Welch. The family moved to Altadena, where Welch spent years enjoying the beauty of nature and the surrounding parks, as well as the Pacific surf.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his bachelor’s in biochemistry and met his future wife, Marcy Delaney. After graduation, Welch headed to the University of Kansas to earn his Ph.D. He and Marcy wed in 1965. The couple next moved with their son William III to Boston for Welch’s postdoctoral fellowship at Brandeis University.
Welch later was offered a tenure-track professorship in the University of Nevada–Reno’s biochemistry department, which he took. At Reno, he conducted decades of research and served as a biochemistry adviser in the School of Medicine’s National Institute of Health–sponsored undergraduate research program.
Welch is most noted for his use of computational techniques to study the molecular basis for the interaction of ryanoids with ryanodine receptors and their related biological function. His molecular modeling aided in efforts beyond this system to evaluate the structural–functional relationship of other proteins, such as hormones and enzymes, including those found in the Mojave rattlesnake venom.
His family obituary said that Welch had a sincere love for the beauty of the natural world and often took his family on trips in the car or RV to national parks. He served as a skiing coach at the Sky Tavern just outside Reno and educated others as a member of the West Truckee Meadows Citizens Advisory Board, during which time he advocated for the development of West Reno to conserve and preserve access to those public lands.
He is survived by his wife, Marcy; children Bill, Deborah, Emily and Gregory; grandsons Colin, Gabriel and Tristan; and his brother David.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles
In memoriam: Ralph G. Yount
He was a professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry at Washington State University and an ASBMB member for 58 years.
From dust to discovery
From makeshift classrooms in Uganda to postdoctoral research in Chicago, MOSAIC scholar Elizabeth Kaweesa builds a legacy in women’s health.
Fliesler wins scientific and ethical awards
He is being honored by the University at Buffalo and the American Oil Chemists' Society for his scientific achievements and ethical integrity.
Hope for a cure hangs on research
Amid drastic proposed cuts to biomedical research, rare disease families like Hailey Adkisson’s fight for survival and hope. Without funding, science can’t “catch up” to help the patients who need it most.
Before we’ve lost what we can’t rebuild: Hope for prion disease
Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel, a husband-and-wife team racing to cure prion disease, helped develop ION717, an antisense oligonucleotide treatment now in clinical trials. Their mission is personal — and just getting started.
ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators
Ileana Cristea, Sarah Cohen, Itay Budin and Christopher Obara are among 14 researchers selected as Allen Distinguished Investigators by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.