Louise Marjorie (Thompson) Welch (1916 - 2004)

Born 14 Feb 1916 in Saint John, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada

Wife of William Willard Welch — married 29 Dec 1951 in Saint John, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada

Died 17 Sep 2004 at age 88 in Bellingham, Whatcom, Washington, United States

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Biography

Louise was born on February 14, 1916 in Saint John, New Brunswick. She was a daughter of John Milton Thompson and Alberta Ray (Mawhinney) Thompson. Her father was a Linotype Machinist.^[1][2]

She attended UNB as the holder of a Beaverbrook Entrance Scholarship and graduated in 1937 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and won the alumni gold medal for best Latin translation. She then attended the University of Edinburgh, obtaining her Masters of Education the following year.^[3]

She became the first "woman appointed to the faculty" at the University of New Brunswick in 1944 when she was appointed head of the joint department of Education and Philosophy. She had worked as assistant to Dr. W.C. Kierstead prior to this for about three years.^[3] President _____ Mackenzie wrote at the time that he had some reservations about appointing her to the role, "In your case there is the further question as to whether the people in education in the Province ... would attach as much importance to our department of Education if it were headed by a woman in place of men like themselves"^[4][5]

In 1944, she took leave for one year to attend Yale University where she completed her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology.^[3]

In 1950, her father passed away. In the same year, she left UNB to join Dalhousie University in Halifax as a Clinical Psychology Professor.^[3]

Louise married William Willard Welch on December 29, 1951 in Saint John. He was an accountant, son of Edward Wallace Welch and Eva Lillian (Knowlton) Welch.^[2]

They later lived in Halifax, Toronto and Omaha before settling in Bellingham in th state of Washington. She continued her work, as a private practice clinical psychologist and later the director of a large mental health facility.^[5]

Louise passed away on September 17, 2004 at the age of 88 and was interred at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Colombarium in Bellingham, Washington.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Registration, Public Archives of New Brunswick
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Marriage Registration, Public Archives of New Brunswick
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Louise M. Thompson, UNB Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved Dec 5, 2023
4. ↑ Presidents Papers, UNB Archives and Special Collections
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Obituary, Bellingham Herald, September 18, 2004. Image attached to profile.
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #183648605, Louise Marjorie Thompson Welch (1916-2004)

• Firsts for Women at UNB, UNB Archives and Special Collections
• UNB President's Papers, UNB Archives and Special Collections
• Louise Thompson Welch, Feminist Voices. Retrieved Dec 6, 2023