Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: When was Claude E. Welch Jr born?
Claude E. Welch Jr., State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo (UB) Professor of Political Science and SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, was born on 12 June 1939 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dr. Claude E. Welch, Sr., and Phyllis Paton Welch. The younger Welch “had the values of hard work and respect for others instilled him from an early age.”[1] His father worked his way through Harvard Medical School and served as a front-line surgeon in World War II. In his medical career, he became “a fixture at Massachusetts General Hospital for more than 40 years, was an innovative surgeon, a tireless worker, prolific researcher and an advocate of building strong ties with his patients, themes that would come to be synonymous with his…son.”[2]
He also participated in the Amherst Community Church, serving on the Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, and the Music Committee. In 1972, he served as a reporter on religion and ethics for WBEN-TV (now WIVB-TV) as part of his volunteer work for the Buffalo Council of Churches. In 2000, he received the first Claude E. Welch, Jr. award for outstanding voluntarism on behalf of the Buffalo Council on World Affairs (now Buffalo-Niagara WorldConnect), 2000.
Through his career, Welch has supported community life in Western New York, becoming a well-known civic figure and supporter of human rights causes. He served as president of the Buffalo Council on World Affairs from 1997 to 1999 and helped to establish Buffalo-Niagara World Connect. He served on the board of directors for the Harvard Club of Western New York (1998–2001) and the African American Cultural Center of Buffalo. Welch also belonged to the Pundit Club of Buffalo, a men's literary and social group.
Welch has served on the editorial board of advisors for several publications, including Buffalo Human Rights Law Review since 1997; advisory board, World History Since 1500 (Dushkin Publishers), 1997–2005; editorial advisory board, Encyclopedia Americana, 1992–03; and the board of editors, African Studies Review, 1974–81.
Lawrence E. Welch Jr. is a Judge of the Nebraska Court of Appeals.
Welch was admitted to Harvard College, the undergraduate liberal arts college of Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude. Responding to the political upheaval in Africa where countries were fighting for independence, Welch focused his studies on Africa and human rights. His undergraduate honors thesis examined the impact of international law on South Africa’s administration of South-West Africa (now Namibia) from the end of World War I to 1961.
Asian Perspectives on Human Rights[38] (1990), co-edited with Virginia Leary, combined original case studies of individual Asian countries with a synthesizing introduction. The volume contains original papers presented at conferences that were organized by Welch and Leary. Economic Rights in Canada and the United States examined similarities and contrasts between the two countries in areas such as the right to health care, social welfare and racism, disability rights, and others. This volume was based on original papers commissioned by Professors Hassmann and Welch with funding from various sources.
On May 15, 1942, Welch went to war. He left behind one son (Claude E. Welch Jr. born June 12, 1939) and a pregnant wife, as well as his job at the MGH. He felt that this was a necessary sacrifice in order to serve his country in its time of need. He departed Boston with 123 other surgeons, physicians, and nurses from the MGH to Camp Blanding, Florida for training. Together they helped to constitute the 6th General Hospital.
Welch's 14 books and many published articles address three interdisciplinary areas: Africa, the political roles of armed forces (civil–military relations), and human rights. Among his most important volumes, already mentioned, are Human Rights and Development in Africa, Protecting Human Rights in Africa, and Economic Rights in Canada and the United States. Although the three areas interrelate, Welch's titles can be listed among his three focus areas. In the interest of avoiding duplication, several volumes that overlap are mentioned only in the area most prevalent.
Claude E. Welch (March 14, 1906 – March 9, 1996) was an internationally recognized surgeon whose career spanned forty years. For most of those forty years, Welch worked at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was involved with a variety of activities that included “patient care, teaching, clinical research, establishment of funds to maintain such activities, promotion of all aspects of medical education, and strengthening of ties between the government, the courts, the legal profession and physicians.”
For more than 50 years, Welch taught political science at UB. He lives in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. Welch's scope of interest extends globally. Along with his wife Jeannette Ludwig (September 29, 1949-July 29, 2018), who was a professor of French at the University at Buffalo, Welch traveled to more than 25 countries on five continents. They became avid photographers, and their collection of more than 2000 images, complete with detailed descriptions, is preserved in the digital collection of the University at Buffalo Libraries. Based on these images, the library maintains an exhibition titled Wayfarers: Selected Images from the Welch-Ludwig Collection.
Continuing with postgraduate studies at Oxford University, Welch earned his PhD in 1964. In an interview with , UB’s honors alumnae magazine, he explained that he did his dissertation research in West Africa, wrote the final draft on location, and mailed it to his committee.[3] His interest in African politics and human rights formed the basis for his career.
Welch's major academic impact came through his analyses of the effectiveness of human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), explored in his 2001 publication, NGOs and Human Rights: Promise and Performance.[17] He argued, particularly in his 2001 book Protecting Human Rights in Africa, that NGOs have become central to the promotion and protection of human rights.
Welch's first book, Dream of Unity: Pan-Africanism and Political Unification in West Africa,[18] (1966) drew from his doctoral dissertation. It documented, through four case studies, the obstacles to greater unity among African countries with divergent colonial backgrounds. Henry L. Bretton from the University of Michigan reviewed the book in 1967, praising Welch for his focus on West Africa instead of the broader emphasis of Africa as a whole that many books of the time were concerned with. “Professor Welch’s meticulous scholarship, applied to West Africa only, has produced the kind of book required for better understanding of the substance of international relations.”[19]
Welch's participation in the Buffalo religious community has given him recognition in more than just the academic circles in the city. At Westminster Presbyterian Church, Welch has served as a Ruling Elder, chairman of the Management Group, chair of the Adult Program Committee, and chair of the Investment Policy Committee.
On the national front, Welch was a participant in “One America: Conversations that Bring Us Together,” sponsored by the White House Initiative on Race, 1999, and was featured on national television programs. He was highlighted on CBS Sunday Morning during a February 16, 2014, episode dedicated to celebrating the presidency of Millard Fillmore.[39] Welch participated in and was a one-day champion in the television program “Jeopardy” along with competitors Mike Stafford and Nancy Neff, which aired as the 23rd episode of the 1987 season.
Welch served in numerous administrative positions while maintaining his teaching and research. His first major appointment came in 1967 when, at the age of 28, he became dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education at UB. He served in this position from 1967–70. As associate vice president for Academic Affairs in 1976–80, Welch worked as the number two person for non-health sciences-related matters. He also served a three-year term as chair of the Political Science Department, 1980–83. He was Acting Dean of the Colleges from 1978–79; co director of the annual Faculty Development Workshop, l984–91; and co director of the Program for Tenured Faculty, 1987–89.
In 1967, Welch's Modernization: Readings in Comparative Political Change[34] emphasized comparative aspects of political modernization. In Developmental Change: An Annotated Bibliography,[35] Allan A. Spitz draws three conclusions from Welch's thesis: “(1) modernization is complex and results in a fundamental transformation of society, economy, and polity; (2) modernization is not guaranteed—it is subject to disruption; and (3) it cannot be assumed that the wide-ranging changes will occur peacefully” (p.141).
At the national level, Welch received three lifetime achievement awards. The first came jointly from TIAA and the SUNY Research Foundation in 2006, the first time this recognition was given. The award was established to recognize individuals "who serve those who serve others for the greater good." In 2014, the American Political Science Association presented a Distinguished Scholar award[41] to Welch for his work in human rights. The International Studies Association gave him its Human Rights Distinguished Scholar Award for 2014–15.[42]
Welch's Soldier and State in Africa[20] (1970) was one of the first comparative analyses of causes of coup d’état in Africa. It included Welch's framework, followed by original chapters from other specialists. Welch also drew upon his African expertise in Peasants in Africa,[21] co-edited with Alan K. Smith. This book inquired whether the concept of “peasant” would be useful in the sub-Saharan context).
Welch co-wrote Military Role and Rule[23] (1974) with Arthur K. Smith. The book developed a general framework of explanation for coups d’état and their consequences. The authors prepared detailed studies of Thailand, Nigeria, Peru, Egypt, and France. In a review published in the Journal of Politics, Mary B. Welfing wrote, “Welch and Smith synthesize the extensive literature on the military in politics.”[24]
Welch's interests took him far beyond the campus and classroom. He believes in living a life of integrity. He told UB Honors Today, “I try to be a role model for how to live. Have a relationship that is stable and loving. Be part of a community and help to make it a better community. Be generous with time and treasure. These are clichés, but you have to live them.”[15]
Welch attended private schools from fifth grade on. He went to Belmont Hill School, Belmont, Massachusetts, where he received academic awards for Biology, French, Latin, and general scholarly excellence. In his senior year, Welch received the Headmaster's Award for Outstanding Student and graduated summa cum laude.
Claude E. Welch was the eldest child of John and Lettie Phelan Welch. He was born on March 14, 1906, in the town of Stanton, Nebraska. From a very young age, Welch showed great intellectual promise, advancing through the first three grades in the city school in a mere three months. He attributed his rapid advancement to the excellent preschool education he received at home.
Claude E. Welch died on March 9, 1996. He was survived by his wife Phyllis; their two sons, Claude E Welch Jr., professor emeritus of political science at University at Buffalo and John Paton Welch, a retired surgeon, of Hartford, Connecticut; and seven grandchildren.