Tom Welch was born and raised in Dansville, NY. At the age of 12, his father died suddenly and he was raised by a single, hard-working mom and a large loving family. He was involved in many activities, primarily sports in and outside of school, to support and focus himself as a young man. Sports remained a focus throughout his life. Tom started his career as a land surveyor and moved into civil design, prior to computer aided design; as a result, he became very interested in computers and their support of engineering and design. He changed careers into information technology through working with engineering firms. Tom worked very hard for what he achieved. He was a friend to all; he was a man of character, humility, integrity, and patience. Tom always saw the good in people, making it his mission to do something nice for someone every day. He did what he said he was going to do and always tried to do the right thing. Tom worked in the Rochester engineering community for more than 20 years.
Though Tom did not grow up in a conventional family structure, the love and support of family was a very important factor in his life. Tom did not feel he was entitled to anything and knew that he was going to have to work hard to make his own way. Tom made some mistakes along the way, but he was able to overcome adversity, and set his mind on the goal. His favorite quote by Vince Lombardi was “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”
tomwelchscholarship 