Award will be presented on Saturday at the Senior Class Tournament in Lake Delton, Wisconsin.

This application is to assist the Scholarship Committee in selecting the recipient of the $1,500 Al Welling Memorial Scholarship.

Please provide information for each question or mark N/A if not applicable.

Return your completed application by email to: alwellingmemorialscholarship@gmail.com no later than March 1, 2024.

Include the following 3 items in your email:

1. Completed application;
2. 250-word minimum essay on why you should be awarded this scholarship; and
3. A written recommendation from your current coach.

Failure to provide any of the required information will disqualify you as an applicant.

If selected to receive this scholarship, you will be contacted by Mike Welling.

If you have any questions, please contact us at:

alwellingmemorialscholarship@gmail.com

Committee members include:

Mike Welling
Denny Welling
Jeff Schmidt
Dan Lampe
Marck Greenhalgh
Bill Welling
Bob Welling

The information below is taken word for word from the Welling History pamphlet.

Allan Duane Welling was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. Early on sports were an important part of his life. As a kid growing up on the east side there were pick-up games of football, basketball and baseball in the warm summer months. Then it turned cold and he and his neighborhood buddies would strap on the blades and head to the nearest pond for a game of hockey.

As Al grew into a teenager and started high school, hockey had truly become his passion. He played for his high school team. When playing at Madison East, he met and became friends with a hockey official by the name of Doc Segerson. Doc was one of the only hockey officials in the area. Doc would grab whoever he could to help work area high school, state adult league and semi-pro hockey in Rockford. This friendship with Doc Segerson would turn out to become one of the most influential relationships for Al and all who would follow in his footsteps.

As seniors in HS, Doc recruited Al and his brother Dennis and Bob Fuller to start the tour of duty. Bob, Al and Denny ran the circuit and worked every hockey game they could find. They added a supporting staff of individuals; Jingles O’Brien, Orv Walsvik, Jim Duffy, Joe Coyne and Fritz Ragatz just to name a few. But it was Al, Denny and Bob who really held it together.

Dennis and Al then carried the torch. The Big Ten, WCHA and Wisconsin Badgers were next on the circuit as Jim Duffy recruited Al and Denny. High school hockey in Madison was at it’s best and so was Al. He was a fixture on the ice officiating players like Suter, Weston, Johnson and Heath.

Doc Segerson was a powerful influence in Al’s early officiating career. Fans, Coaches and players alike watched Doc pass the torch and it was up to Al to keep the tradition of excellence in hockey officiating alive. In 1980, Al and Dennis took a few young boys, molded, scolded and turned them into men. These young men had watched Al’s graceful ability to control their own high school hockey games with ease. It was now their time to learn the game through an official’s eyes instead of a player. Al Welling was now the powerful influence and for the next 21 years he would crisscross the state of Wisconsin mentoring these young men, providing high school and college hockey with the best officiating around.

Al was a top notch official for five decades! Al decided in 2002 that he would no longer officiate. He had witnessed pro athletes hang on past their prime. Al was adamant that he didn’t want to “hang on” and wanted us fellow officials to be honest and “tell him” when it was time.

Our “whistle” never blew on Al. He was still working at an extremely high standard in 2001. Al was still working State College Hockey as well as a full slate of High School contests…Still working his magic, building new bridges to players, coaches and fans alike.

Al officiated in the WCHA for 16 years as a referee and 12 years in the NCHA and over 30 years in the WIAA. We never added it up but the number of games are definitely in the several 1000’s. Al brought the same enthusiasm and effort to every game and couldn’t wait to get to the rink. Every game was a new experence, a new lesson, a new opportunity to witness a new player finding a passion for a great game.

Al befriended many coaches, players and fans on his journey. His superb quality of officiating, his great communication style and his commitment to the integrity of the game raised the bar for all to a higher level. In the heat of the battle Al always knew what approach to take, when to be strict, when to let it ride. Al was magical in connecting with coaches and players and insuring all parties remained focused on the greater good of the game.

In 2007, Al was inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame

The Al Welling Scholarship Fund has been developed to carry on Al’s legacy. Your tax deductible contribution will be used to build a trust fund that we hope will grow into a very substantial scholarship base that will be awarded to student athletes who possess the skills and traits Al stood for. The inaugural Scholarship was awarded in 2005.

The fund is managed by the Madison Community Foundation.

Checks can be made payable to:

Madison Community Foundation
Al Welling Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 5010
Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705-5010

We thank you for your contribution and will keep you up to date with a newsletter containing upcoming fund raising events, selection criteria and applications for the scholarship.

Please help us spread the word about the foundation. Let’s make a difference in a young person’s life. Al sure did.

The Al Welling Scholarship Foundation Advisory Counsel:

Mike Welling
Denny Welling
Jeff Schmidt
Dan Lampe
Mark Greenhalgh
Bill Welling Bob
Welling