A lesson in procrastination

Saturday, October 16, 1948 - Paris France.
It was my third day in the mission field.
After two days of Paris District Conferences we went to the prestigious Salle Pleyel for a music program presented by five French Mission Elders. Part way through that program one of the missionaries walked onto the stage, sat down at the grand piano and began to play Ravel's "Pavane Pour Une Enfante Defuncte." I had never heard such hauntingly beautiful music come from a piano. I was enthralled with the music and amazed at that 22 year old missionary's talents. My mission journal entry for that day ends: "Elder Welch is a hot man on the piano."

Over the next year and a half of my mission our paths crossed several times, in Paris, and later in Geneva, Switzerland. He, too, had served in the Navy so he and I had some good times sharing our "naval careers." He entertained us all with his music, his wit, and his genuine warmth. I had a feeling we would be hearing of him some day. And we did.

After his mission Jay Welch went on to graduate from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a minor in music. (Shows there really is a relationship between the two).
He also earned a degree from the Paris National Conservatory of Music, a master's degree in music composition from Mills College and a Ph.D in music from the University of Utah, where he taught for 39 years. While at the UofU he received Outstanding Professor, Favorite Professor, and Distinguished Teaching awards.

He founded several musical organizations, including the Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus, the Salt Lake Repertory Orchestra and the Jay Welch Chorale. He received the Honors in the Arts Award and Governor's Award in the Arts.

Oh --and for a short time in 1974 he was the conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
(There is an interesting story there, but that's for another time.)

But for all the missionaries who labored at any time in Paris, his greatest post-mission achievement was marrying Marcelle Beecher, a government employee working in Paris who was like a big sister to all of us.

A few months ago I managed to contact Marcelle,by phone. We had a good long talk and she told me Jay was in a rest home because she was no longer able to care for him at home. I called Jay and we had a nice phone visit.

I was full of good intentions to find my way out to that rest home and see him "one of these days".

I put it off too long.

Below is a picture of Elder Welch as I knew him followed by the picture in yesterday's Deseret News.