Robert B. Welch ’48

Dr. Bob was a renowned physician-leader in ophthalmology. For a quarter-century he headed the Wilmer Retinal Service at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, where he had been a towering (at 6 feet 8 inches) medical student with a number of other ’47, ’48, and ’49 Princetonians. 

He was raised in Annapolis, Md., where he later maintained a medical practice. His college career was interrupted by service as a Navy medical corpsman. He returned to graduate in 1949 with honors in biology. Bob was an ardent loyal alumnus and class reunion regular, spending football afternoons at Palmer Stadium with the OOPS (Organization of Opthomologists at Palmer Stadium) group. 

Bob and Betty were married in 1953. Their home was in Annapolis until his retirement, and then at the Towson, Md., retirement community where Bob died Jan. 5, 2021. He was 93. Betty died in 2016. He is survived by a sister and two cousins.