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Thomas Welder

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Sister Thomas Welder, OSB, (born Diane Marie Welder;[1] April 27, 1940[2]) is a former president of the University of Mary. Her tenure of 31 years set a record for female college and university presidents in the United States.[3][4]

Welder was born on April 27, 1940, in Linton, North Dakota, to Mary Ann (née Kuhn) and Sebastian Welder.[2][5] Her father died in 1951; her mother became a Benedictine sister in 1968, after raising Welder and her siblings.[5][1] Four of Welder's maternal aunts also joined religious orders.[1]

Welder attended Cathedral Elementary School and St. Mary's Central High School in Bismarck, North Dakota, graduating in 1958.[2] She studied at the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota, where she discerned a vocation to religious life.[2] She returned to Bismarck to enter the community of Benedictine nuns at Annunciation Monastery.[2] The Benedictines founded Mary College in 1959; Welder was a member of their first freshman class.[1][6] She completed a bachelor's degree at the College of St. Scholastica and received a master's degree in music from Northwestern University.[7]

Welder began working for Mary College in 1963 and in 1978 was named the school's fifth president.[8] Under Welder, the college attained university status in 1986, becoming the University of Mary.[7] In 2004, Welder was granted the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, the highest honour of the state of North Dakota.[8][7] In 2009, she retired and was named President Emerita.[9][10]

Welder has a chronic kidney failure condition, for which she received a kidney transplant in 2001. In 2005, a virus caused her to require a second transplant. She sought a transplant in 2007, but could not receive the operation. The transplant was successfully performed in 2011.[11]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ a b c d Swift, Tammy (September 21, 1997). "Sisters Mary Ann and Thomas are Fellow Benedictines in Bismarck but They're Much Closer Than That". Forum. p. 1B – via Germans from Russia Heritage Collection.
  2. ^ a b c d e "University of Mary holds 50th commencement". Jamestown Sun. May 12, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Sr. Thomas Welder to earn prestigious award". Diocese of Bismarck. September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  4. ^ Kalberer, Lauren (March 12, 2019). "Women's History Month – Sister Thomas Welder". KX NEWS. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Mary Ann Welder". The Bismarck Tribune. February 24, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  6. ^ "Welder puts U-Mary on the map". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d "Sister Thomas Welder". North Dakota Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Sister Thomas Welder to retire". The Bismarck Tribune. Associated Press. May 6, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  9. ^ Herzog, Karen (April 17, 2009). "Sister Thomas leaves a growing legacy". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "About Sister Thomas". University of Mary. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Eckroth, Leann (April 4, 2011). "Sister Thomas Welder gets kidney transplant". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "SAHF Inductees: Sister Thomas Welder". Norsk Høstfest. Retrieved September 18, 2019.


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