For the late State College Mayor Bill Welch, the borough was more than suburban America meets college town -- it was home for his entire life.
And during his 16 years in office, Welch used this hometown insight to guide State College through some of its most important decisions.
On Sept. 4 last year, Welch died at the age of 67 at Hershey Medical Center after he developed pneumonia as a result of leg bypass surgery.
As the one-year anniversary of his death approaches Saturday, State College residents and officials remember Welch as both a strong leader and a friend to the Penn State community.
Welch's wife of 34 years, Nadine Kofman, said her husband had an impact on the community that will not soon be forgotten.
"People that knew him miss him," she said. "He used to take the most complicated thing and
put it in the most simple language."
It was this approachability, State College Borough Council members said, made Welch a valuable member of State College's governing body.
Council member Jim Rosenberger, who served with Welch for about a year and a half, said Welch was a wonderful mayor with a great perspective on the inner-workings of the borough.
"He was witty, and it was always fun to debate issues with him," Rosenberger said. "He kept the interest of the town at the forefront in all his decisions."
Before his election to the mayor's office, Welch was employed as an editor at the Centre Daily Times for more than 20 years. Kofman described her husband as a wordsmith who always had something clever to say.
Welch made an annual appearance at Penn State's Freshman Convocation, and welcomed the new students to the community with open arms. Though students are typically short-term residents, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers said Welch often kept student priorities on his mind throughout the school year.
Penn State President Graham Spanier echoed that sentiment, and said Mayor Welch was a great friend to Penn State.
"He participated in every town-gown event that existed, and he did so with great affection and spirit," Spanier wrote in an e-mail.
And some borough members are hoping to keep the memory of former Mayor Welch fresh for a long time -- but a decision has yet to be made.
Early last March, the State College Borough Council members voted against a proposition to commemorate the late Mayor Bill Welch by renaming the State College Municipal Building in his honor.
Now, as the one-year anniversary of Welch's death approaches, council members say they haven't completely dismissed the idea of naming a borough landmark after the man who served as mayor for 16 years.
"I expect it to come back on the table," said council member Jim Rosenberger. "There is a lot of sentiment for identifying some place or plaza or park or something with him."
Rosenberger said the discussion will continue this fall.
