On Aug. 14, history professor Dr. Ashton Welch died in his sleep the age 68. Welch served as associate professor of history and coordinator of the program in Black Studies. He was beloved by those in the History Department and all of Creighton. He was known as a man who was devoted to his teaching and had a passion for African Studies.

Dr. Elizabeth Elliot-Meisel, current chair of the History Department, considered Welch to be a great asset to the department.

“Dr. Welch was truly the heart and soul of the department,” Elliot-Meisel said. “He was a mentor to many of us, in a variety of ways and over many years. He touched all of us and he was a role model: he treated everyone –students, faculty, staff, administrators, strangers and friends – with respect and kindness.”

Welch had been a member of the Creighton History Department since 1975. He received his Ph.D. in 1979 and served as chair of the department from 1985-1993.

Throughout the 35 years that he spent working and teaching at Creighton, he built numerous relationships with faculty members and students through his kindness and willingness to help others learn.

Arts & Sciences senior Minden Yuskevich said she felt privileged to have Welch as her faculty adviser.

“He was more of my go-to person when it came to classes, and whenever I was struggling or just didn’t know what to do, I came to him. He was an extremely helpful adviser and was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Yuskevich said.

She said that Welch was very straightforward when it came to choosing classes for history majors.

“He knows I hate math and kept telling me that I should get it over with instead of waiting until senior year,” Yuskevich said.

Elliot-Meisel described Welch as a man with “unfailing kindness, a deep respect for others and a gentle nature.”

Welch was also known for his intelligence. As coordinator of the Program in Black Studies, Welch was in charge of the courses in African and African American history. He published numerous works, including, “Black or African-American, What’s in a Name? – A Critique,” “The Civil Rights Act of 1968,” “Emancipation in the United States” and “Ethnic Definitions as Reflections of Public Policy.”

“Dr. Welch was an active scholar, pursuing a variety of scholarly interests, publishing regularly, serving on many committees – in and out of the academy – and teaching a wide variety of courses,” Elliot-Meisel said.

Yuskevich had heard that Welch could be a tough teacher at times, but his students took a lot away from his class.

“He knew what he was talking about; he had a passion for what he was teaching,”

she said.

His dedication to teaching earned Welch numerous awards throughout his years at Creighton including the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Student Award for excellence in teaching, the distinguished faculty award and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award for excellence in teaching. He was a member of the Jesuit Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Nu, a society that is committed to “values of scholarship, loyalty and service, the ideals of Jesuit education.”

“It’s going to be a huge hole in the department. He’s going to be missed by all kinds of people, not just history majors,” Yuskevich said.

Outside of teaching and dedicating so much of his time to Creighton, Welch enjoyed gardening, walking in Elmwood Park, travelling and spending time with his wife of over 30 years, Helen Wanken.

Many Creighton faculty members and students who knew Welch considered him an important member of the Creighton family and will truly miss his presence.

“I have no doubt that Dr. Welch will be remembered as a truly unique and

special colleague, mentor and friend,” Elliot-Meisel said.