Person:Leonard Welch (1)

About Leonard Welch

Leonard "Len" Welch was born 24 March 1920 in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana, the son of Charles Welch and Helen Eaton. Leonard's father Charles was a local theatre manager when Kokomo was on the vaudeville circut and consequently, Leonard spent many hours at his father's theatre taking in the free shows and saw many of the then-famous performers that came into town. When the theatre business declined during the depression years, the family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where Len got his first taste of the grocery business, working as a clerk in his grandfather's grocery store.

After the war, Len returned home to Newcastle, Indiana and it was there where he met his future wife Jacqueline Clary, daughter of James W. Clary and Edith Shanks. The pair got married on 10 April 1946 in Indiana and spent their honeymoon in Chicago. For a while, Len was working in a local automotive plant, but in 1948, he decided to move to California, where he had heard the weather was better with more opportunity. He arrived in Tujunga, where his father had already re-located, and walked into a local Shopping Bag Supermarket asking for a job and he was hired as a grocery clerk. A few weeks later, the company needed a service deli man at their Sunland store and Len was sent over and he would spend over the next 20 years in the deli industry. Len was moved up to Deli Manager just six months later and in 1954 was promoted again to Deli Supervisor. Later, in 1958, when Len's boss retired he was again promoted to Deli Division Manager for the then 36-store chain.

Shopping Bag stores merged with Vons Grocery Company in 1961 and the combined deli operation was of Von's Deli Division Manager, Edward "Ed" Hirschman, known to many in the industry as the "Dean of the Deli Industry". Len became one of his Deli Supervisors and Ed and Len became close personal friends in the process of working together for many years. In 1967, the merger was was challenged by the Federal Trade Commission. After two lower court victories, the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reversed the lower court orders and ordered Vons to immediately divest itself of the Shopping Bag locations immediately, and the then 40-store chain was purchased by the E.F. McDonald Company (Plaid Stamps). Len became the newly re-born chain's Manager of Deli Operations. Later, Len would go on to work as a Deli Supervisor for S&A Foods a six store Southern California discount grocery chain started by industry legends Bob Sherry and Lou Amen which was eventually sold to Arden Mayfair. (Note: Arden-Mayfair would go on to be the owner of Southern California upscale grocery chain, Gelson's Supermarkets.)

While working at Vons/Shopping Bag, Leonard was an active member of the Southern California Deli Council, which later was re-named to the Dairy/Deli/Bakery Council of Southern California (DDBC), a local Food Industry Trade Association, and attended many of its meetings, seminars and functions. Tony was elected and served on the Deli Counci's Board of Directors in 1969-1971 and was awarded the Deli Council's "Big Cheese" Award in September 1967 for his leadership and support of the Council.

Leonard Welch passed away on 12 February 1993 in Orange County, California. He was survived by his wife Jacqueline and children Jay, Kim and Kelly. His contributions to the Dairy/Deli industry were numerous and he has been missed by his family, friends and co-workers since his passing.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 California. Department of Public Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death Index, 1940-1997.

   Name: Leonard Welch
   Social Security #: 171163490
   Gender: Male
   Birth Date: 24 Mar 1920
   Birth Place: Indiana
   Death Date: 12 Feb 1993
   Death Place: Orange
   Mother's Maiden Name: Eaton

2.   Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

   Name: Leonard Welch
   SSN: 171-16-3490
   Last Residence: 90623 La Palma, Orange, California, USA
   BORN: 24 Mar 1920
   Died: 12 Feb 1993
   State (Year) SSN issued: Pennsylvania (Before 1951

3. ↑ Find A Grave.

   Leonard Welch
   Birth: Unknown
   Death: Feb. 12, 1993
   
   http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=106601638&justMadeEdit=1

4.   Pennsylvania, United States. Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966. (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015).

   Name: Leonard Welch
   Birth Date: 24 Mar 1920
   Birth Place: Kokomo, Howard, Indiana, USA
   Residence Date: 9 May 1950
   Residence Place: Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, USA

5.   Indiana, United States. Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001.

   Name: Leonard Welch
   Gender: Male
   Race: White
   Age: 26
   Event Type: Marriage Registration (Marriage)
   Birth Date: 24 Mar 1920
   Marriage Licence Date: 10 Aug 1946
   Marriage Licence Place: Indiana, United States
   Father: Charles Welch
   Mother: Helen Eaton
   Spouse: Jacqueline Clary
   FHL Film Number: 001887833