Cadet And Friend David Welch Passes Away

When David C. Welch marched onto the field with the 2007 Cadets during their finals performance in Pasadena, Calif., he stopped mid-way on the 50-yard line to kiss the turf. Nothing mattered much at that moment to the mellophone player nicknamed by his peers as “Primo.” Simply having the opportunity to enter the field with the Maroon and Gold prayer block meant the world. Those smiles, tears, embraces of gratitude and admiration bestowed by Welch that mid-August night said it all – the Cadets will always live within his soul.

David, 42, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 7th at his parent’s home in Northern Virginia. After a five-year battle with brain cancer, the Cadet hornplayer who became an icon of inspiration for generations of corps members, died with his family at his side.

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