Louis "Lou" Welsh

Welsh, Louis "Lou"
Lou was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on September 25, 1931. The family moved to Austin, Texas, in 1947, and Lou graduated from Austin High School. Lou originally signed with the University of Texas to play football for Blair Cherry, but his family moved to Cucamonga, California, in the summer of 1949. Coach Cherry insisted that Lou move with his family and arranged a football scholarship to USC with his friend, USC Coach Jeff Cravath. Lou attended USC and graduated in 1954 with a degree in Business. He played football for Coach Jeff Cravath in 1950 and for Coach Jess Hill in 1951 and 1952. The 1953 Rose Bowl team co-captained by Lou was the first Pacific Coast team to defeat a Big Ten team under the Pacific Coast vs Big 10 format by beating Wisconsin 7-0. Lou was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at USC. Lou met and fell in love with Mary Vidos of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at USC. They were married on April 5, 1953, at Saint Vincent Church. After graduating from USC, Lou and Mary moved to Arcadia where they lived for over 30 years. Lou and Mary owned Washington Iron Works, and Lou lead the company for nearly 35 years. Lou was personally involved with landmark projects like the Music Center, the Queen Mary renovation, the Getty Museum, the Bradley Terminal at LAX, and Saint Basil Cathedral. Lou served as a Board member of the Steel Fabricators Association for ten years and was also involved with the L.A. Chapter of the AGC, the Trojan Football Alumni Club, and the Jonathan Club. Lou and Mary both remained active and supportive of USC. Lou is survived by his wife, Mary, his brother, Richard, all seven children, and 24 grandchildren. Lou was always the bright light in any group, and became friends with all who met him. All family and friends have their favorite "Louie" stories, and all will surely miss him. It is fitting that he passed from this life on Valentines Day, February 14, 2005. Memorial services will be held 1:00 PM, Monday, February 21, at Saint Philip the Apostle Church, 161 South Hill Avenue, Pasadena. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to the USC Norris Cancer Center or the USC Catholic Center Capital Campaign.