Robert V. Welch

Bob's father was the president of Celtic Federal Savings & Loan in Indianapolis, which was the bank for Irish and other immigrant families that was founded by Leo's father, John R. Welch Sr. (1856-1934).

He was the son of Leo F. Welch (1893-1956) and Kathyleen Breen Welch.

Cathedral was founded in downtown Indianapolis in 1918 by the Brothers of Holy Cross, but as demographic changes occurred in the 1970s, the Brothers of Holy Cross determined they would close the school and pull out of Indianapolis in 1973.

By all accounts, Welch - on his own initiative - was the single driving force to keeping Cathedral open.

He funded the payroll when necessary (on his own or by persuading friends to help) and continued to lead the school to survive against long odds.

Robert Vincent Welch (May 26, 1927 – September 11, 1992) was an American businessman, politician, and civic leader from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Welch graduated from Cathedral High School of Indianapolis in 1945 and served in World War II for eleven months before attending the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in the winter of 1950 with US Representative John F. Kennedy as the commencement speaker.

Welch was known by many to be a Notre Dame football supporter and attended most games - home or away - for more than two decades.

After Notre Dame, Welch served in the Korean War (as he had not served the twelve-month minimum in WWII).

His oldest brother, Leo F. Welch Jr., had been killed in the South Pacific in WWII.

Welch was a businessman and community leader in Indianapolis from the 1950s until his death in 1992.

In 1954, he and Jack Baker (a classmate at SJOA and Cathedral) founded Baker McHenry & Welch (BMWC), a general contracting firm.

Welch married Carolyn Finn, whom he had known from his childhood as a classmate at SJOA, on December 1, 1956, at SJOA Church.

They had three children, Maura K., Robert V. Jr., and Elizabeth, and they have seven grandchildren.

Upon completion of college and serving in the Korean War, Welch was a tire salesman and then began working for National Homes Corporation where he achieved success at selling homes throughout the midwestern and southwestern US.

During this time, he invested his own money into real estate, primarily multi-family and retail throughout central Indiana, and in 1956 founded RV Welch & Associates, which evolved and became RV Welch Investments in 1977.

It was primarily a real estate development and management company.

He was considered by many to be the key person in building consensus to bring a National Football League franchise to Indianapolis throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s and subsequently one of the main catalysts to build the Hoosier Dome in the early 1980s.

As a businessman, he had great success in real estate and also by starting or buying and running many other companies - managing many of his investments through his main development company, RV Welch Investments.

He ran for governor as a Democrat in 1972, eventually conceding to Matthew E. Welsh prior to the primary.

In the community, he was the runner-up in the general election for mayor of Indianapolis in 1975 and is credited as the primary force to save Cathedral High School from closure when the Brothers of Holy Cross decided to close the school in 1973 - remaining chairman of Cathedral's board from 1973 to 1987.

He was recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of the "Top 50 Most Influential People of the Century" in Indianapolis.

Welch also ran for mayor of Indianapolis in 1975,winning the Democratic nomination against long odds but eventually losing in the general election to William H. Hudnut III.

Welch continued to support the community by serving in his later years as executive director of the White River State Park Development Commission under appointment from Governor Evan Bayh.

One of Welch's largest contributions to the Indianapolis community was his leadership role in helping to keep Cathedral High School from closure.

He served for many years as a director for the board of American Fletcher National Bank (AFNB), one of top business banks in Indiana until it was sold to Bank One in the late 1980s.

Welch also developed many residential communities throughout Indianapolis, including Windridge on what was the old Stoughton J. Fletcher mansion and estate on the northeast side of Indianapolis, and developed the land around it into luxury condominiums, among other projects.

In the 1980s, Welch sold RV Welch Investments to Michael Browning, who had worked for Welch for many years and subsequently renamed the firm as Browning Investments.

Welch had many other investments throughout the years, including a significant investment in Landmark Savings Bank and other ventures.

He died in a mid-air plane collision in 1992 while on a business trip for the state of Indiana.

He was one of ten children and he and his wife, Carolyn, had three children.

Welch was the seventh of ten children that grew up on the northside of Indianapolis near St. Joan of Arc (SJOA) Church and School.

The American Legion Kensington Post of Indianapolis named the dining room in honor of Welch in 1993.

Welch was honored posthumously by the Indianapolis Junior Achievement chapter as a Laureate to the Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame in 2005.

Welch served in WWII and the Korean War and also ran for political office.

Some of the more prominent commercial buildings were the office buildings at 116th and Meridian Street in Carmel, Indiana, and other developments.

He founded and operated Fidelity Bank of Indiana in Hamilton County until the Indiana inter-county banking laws led the way to a sale of the bank to INB.

Welch was recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of "four people who made a difference" in residential real estate in Indianapolis (Indiana 2015 Bicentennial edition).

RV Welch Associates and RV Welch Investments grew into a large residential and commercial real estate development company in Indiana.

Welch purchased or constructed and then managed thousands of single and multi-family units throughout central Indiana as well as developed many office buildings throughout central Indiana.