Photographs, notebooks of leaves, and memories of
childhood wonder are poignant reminders of Mary’s
needless encouragement, ‘Faster, daddy, faster.’
Life moves much faster than we think, happy times
pass quickly. It’s not a substitute for the passage of
life, but satisfying to know that Mary and I enjoyed
her early years as the good old days worth
remembering in a little book. All the days were
important and there will continue to be good days
but none will be more engaging for Mary and me
than those that brought her initial start in life.
Mengenai Pengarang
Larry Welch is the father of Mary Virginia Welch, a
position he has held for 10 years.
A humanitarian, Larry feeds the homeless, promotes
programs to find a cure for breast cancer, and runs
marathons to raise money to help those suffering from
spina bifida, kidney disease, Downs syndrome, and
leukemia. He as organized marrow donor drives,
recruited bell-ringing teams for The Salvation Army,
promoted Toys-for-Tots, helped jail inmates develop self-
esteem, listened to the elderly and watched over
children.
As he learns, he shares his compassionate insights as
a public speaker with Toastmasters International and
expresses a street-smart philosophy through is
electronic newsletter, ‘On the run…’
In 1995 and 1999, he was selected as Toastmaster of
the Year for the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia
and Southern Maryland. In 1996, he became the first
recipient of the National Race for the Cure Volunteer of
the Year Award; and he was presented the 1997 Jill
Ireland Award for Voluntarism by The Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation in Dallas, Texas. In 1998, his
employer, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service,
presented him a Department of the Navy Meritorious
Civilian Service Award for his leadership in community
relations. Toastmasters International has also
recognized him as their Club President of the Year and
Division Governor of the Year in the Washington area.
In 1984, he retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant
(Limited Duty-Cryptology), and is now employed as a
force protection analyst with the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service in Washington, DC. In his
position, he helps develop, implement and oversee
policies that protect Navy people from the world’s
criminal element.
A storyteller at heart, Mary Virginia, A Father’s Story,
is his first book and was written as a gift for Mary.