[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 22 (Thursday, February 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF JOHN WELLES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the 
public service of a fine Coloradan, John Welles, who passed away on 
December 18, 2002. Mr. Welles had a long and distinguished record of 
public service to Colorado and he will be dearly missed.
  John Welles served as the regional administrator for the 
Environmental Protection Agency for six years under President Reagan. 
He was a principled public servant who always worked in a bipartisan 
manner and in a way that respected those with whom he disagreed.
  I had the good fortune to know Mr. Welles when I was the executive 
director of the Colorado Outward Bound School. Among the many qualities 
that I admired in John, I will most remember his gentle, wise demeanor. 
He was a kind and public-spirited man whose good work for Colorado will 
not soon be forgotten. I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute 
to John Welles, a fine public servant and a great Coloradan.
  Attached is an article which ran in the Rocky Mountain News on 
December 20, 2002.

             [From the Rocky Mountain News, Dec. 20, 2002]

            Former EPA and Museum Official John Welles Dies

                          (By Erika Gonzalez)

       Holly Welles' childhood was filled with an unusual family 
     ritual--each night her father, John, would bring a stack of 
     articles to the dinner table.
       ``We would go around the table and talk about what we did 
     that day and then he would talk about some key event--
     something out of a science magazine that he thought was 
     amazing,'' she said. ``Sometimes it was a little much. But he 
     loved to learn and he loved to share.''
       That zeal for science fueled a remarkable career, including 
     an appointment as regional administrator for the 
     Environmental Protection Agency and a six-year post as 
     executive director of the Denver Museum of Natural History, 
     now the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
       Mr. Welles died Wednesday after a long bout with various 
     illnesses. He was 77. A memorial service will be held at 11 
     a.m. Jan. 3 at St. John's Cathedral.
       Born in Lexington, VA., Mr. Welles attended Yale 
     university, earning a degree in electrical engineering in 
     1946. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he returned to 
     the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a master's 
     degree in business.
       Mr. Welles began his career in the private sector, but in 
     1956, he joined the Denver Research Institute at the 
     University of Denver, heading up the institute's Industrial 
     Economics Division.
       During a sabbatical from DU in 1971, Mr. Welles took his 
     family to Geneva to help plan the first United Nations 
     Conference on the Human Environment. ``He was always 
     concerned about air pollution and population problems,'' his 
     daughter Holly explained.
       Those interests hit home locally, when Mr. Welles worked 
     with Gov. Richard Lamm on the Front Range Project, a process 
     to protect Colorado's quality of life in the face of rapid 
     population growth. Later, at this EPA post. Mr. Welles helped 
     resolve conflicts concerning the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and 
     Rocky Flats.
       Though Mr. Welles also served as vice president of planning 
     and public affairs for the Colorado School of Mines. Holly 
     says her father enjoyed his tenure at the museum most. Under 
     his leadership, the Museum landed one of its most popular 
     traveling exhibits ever, ``Ramses II: The Pharoah and His 
     Time.'' Mr. Welles also created the permanent Prehistoric 
     Journey exhibit before retiring in 1994.
       ``He enjoyed discussing scientific elements and he enjoyed 
     engaging and challenging the scientists,'' said museum board 
     member Chuck Hazelrigg.
       Surviving, including his wife, Barbara, are children Ginny 
     Welles of Lincoln, Mass, Deborah Welles of Denver, Barton 
     Welles of Ross, Calif., and Holly Welles of Mill Valley, 
     Calif.; and six grandchildren.
       Contributions can be made to the Hemlock Society, P.O. Box 
     101810, Denver, CO. 80250; and the John Welles Memorial Fund 
     at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado 
     Blvd., Denver.

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