Artist George Welch was just 27 when he chose to leave his native New York and join the faculty of the two-year-old Pima Community College.
"It was the beginning of a new change, ... like moving to the future," Welch said.
Now, after 40 years of teaching visual arts, Welch, 67, is moving to another future: retirement.
He has returned to New York but spoke with us by phone to discuss the growth and changes he saw over those four decades.
Before classrooms, computer labs, patios and strategic landscaping, there were literally no walls separating the various departments, Welch recalled.
Instead, desks were set up like cubicles, where everyone could hear what the other was talking about or working on.
Welch never intended to spend four decades at the same job. He originally planned to return to Manhattan after five years, but the continuing developments and changes at the college kept him there.
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"It (Pima) just kept redefining itself, and I kept adjusting to how they redefined and helped to direct that," Welch said.
What Welch enjoyed most about teaching was the freedom to challenge his students to open their minds to new ideas and concepts.
He was not fond of grades and final exams, or even the end of the semester.
"It's not about the grade and the final, ending the semester, ending the course. ... It's about how to continue to grow," Welch said.
As a teacher and as an artist, growth had a lasting effect on his work. The journey from a new, open atmosphere to the technological advances and structural developments was reflected in what he produced.
"As a working artist I felt that my work, my attempt to understand my development, was part of the conversations I had with my students," Welch said.
Now that he is retired, Welch and his wife, artist Phyllis Woods, plan to travel abroad. His next step is to continue developing ideas for his artwork now that he can focus solely on it.
Looking back, if he had known when he took on the job that he'd be at Pima for 40 years, he would have been frightened and left early on, Welch said.
But being a part of a project aiming to extend the community was reward enough for Welch.
"Pima just happened to be a blessing," he said, "and I just found a lucky state."
Serena Valdez is a University of Arizona student apprenticing at the Star. Contact her at 573-4128 or at starapprentice@azstarnet.com
