Taskel Welch

Taskel W. Welch (July 17, 1918 – December 4, 1983) was a prominent educator in Scott County, who served as the last principal of Robbins High School and the first principal of Scott High School.

Biography

Born July 17, 1918, Taskel Welch was the son of Freeman Welch (1896-1966) and Bertha Tompkins (1899-1965) of Robbins. His siblings included Harold Welch (1916-1916), Bernard Eugene Welch (1921-1923), Freeman Welch Jr. (1926-1979), Charles Ray Welch (1928-1994), Ina Joyce Turner (1934-2018) and Lois Jean Welch (1936-1936).

Welch married Opal Ross (1912-1970) in 1940. She was the daughter of John Lewis Ross (1875-1948) and Martha Cox (1879-1959). Following her death in 1970, he remarried to Violet Simpson (1933-2004), the daughter of Edward Simpson (1894-1965) and Teemy Etta Wilson (1896-1973).

Welch had no children, though he had three stepchildren: Jack L. Phillips II, Linda Hatter, and Diane Ueckert.

He made his home in Elgin.

Professional Life

Welch served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following the war, he entered the field of education, where he served as a teacher and school administrator for 30 years.

Welch was principal at Robbins High School during the 1956-1957 school year, when A.V. Ellis took a one-year leave of absence. Later, Welch was named the school’s permanent principal in 1962. He served in that role until 1971, when Robbins High School closed with the opening of the consolidated Scott High School, which replaced high schools at Robbins, Huntsville and Norma.

When Scott High School opened, Welch transferred and became its first principal. He served as the principal at Scott High until his retirement in 1981. He then served as supervisor of Scott County’s Adult Education Program until his death.

Welch was also a charter member of Highland Telephone Cooperative, and served as the cooperative’s secretary and treasurer. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Robbins, and of Scott County Masonic Lodge No. 670.

Death

Welch died unexpectedly of a heart attack on December 4, 1983, at the age of 65. A funeral service was conducted on December 6, 1983 at Scott County Funeral Home in Oneida, with Rev. Philip Kazee and Rev. Hubert Terry officiating. He was buried at Carson Memorial Park in Oneida, where his second wife would later be buried. His first wife was buried at Baptist Memorial Cemetery in Robbins.