Ernest Gaines Welch

Ernest Gaines Welch philanthropist, photographer, businessman who enriched Georgia State. At an age when most retirees diminish their activities, Ernest G. Welch enrolled at Georgia State University in his late eighties and began a second successful career this time in photography. In recognition of his passion for photography and his generosity to Georgia State, the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design is named in his honor. Ernest Welch, 103, of Druid Hills, died Saturday, December 26, of pneumonia at Emory University Hospital. A memorial service will be held at St. Marks Methodist Church, Atlanta, at a future date to be announced. Welch was born May 3, 1906, in Lafayette, Alabama. His family moved to Atlanta where he was a long time member of St. Marks Methodist Church up until his death. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a business degree in 1928. During World War II he served in counterintelligence and landed in Normandy at Omaha Beach 10 days after the invasion. While stationed in France he became a real Francophile. His passion for photography took him all over the world from shooting the animals of the African wild to the gardens and landscapes of his own neighborhood in Druid Hills on Springdale Road. Later he took classes and workshops with the renowned photographer Ansel Adams. He taught himself to use the computer in his early 90's and earned his bachelor of fine arts in photography from Georgia State University in 1999 at 93 years of age. At 102 he was working on digital photography. Platinum palladium prints was his specialty. Ernest Welch was the son of Dr. Ernest Braxton Welch and Scenus Lucinda Peavy and was predeceased by siblings, Margaret, Frances and James Welch all of Atlanta. Surviving relatives include cousins Clara Welch Howell and Merrilyn Welch Eastham of Marietta and Mary Emma McConaughey of Druid Hills in Atlanta. Ernest will be remembered for his commanding presence, his strong sense of humor, his keen interest in people, his love of France, and his passion for photography, and his dedication to the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design. In lieu of flowers it is requested that contributions be sent to the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at Georgia State University or St. Marks Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.