James P. Welch

Jun 21, 1950 -

Dec 13, 2023

James P. Welch, musher, mentor, teacher, artist, writer, dreamer, died on Dec. 13, 2023, after a decades-long showdown with multiple sclerosis.

Jim lived by the decree posted on the fridge of his Eagle River home: "Sniveling Prohibited by Law." Or, as he liked to say, "It's okay for a dog to have a certain amount of fleas. It keeps him from thinking too much about being a dog."

Keeping a diary of his inner life, Jim filled book after book with quirky and metaphorical watercolor-and-ink drawings, with captions built of haiku and evocative musings. As a social nexus, he brought together people from wildly varied sub-groups of society to share his passion for music, poetry, books and arthouse films. Gatherings were often centered around his teak dining table, where he'd treat friends to such delicacies as homemade sushi, rack of lamb, Osso Buco and octopus ink pasta, as well as vintage Bordeaux from his exquisite wine collection. Lively discussions on politics, social justice and philosophy were inevitable, with Jim posing random questions like, "What's your definition of random?"

Born on summer solstice in 1950 in Rochester, N.Y., Jim was captivated by Sergeant Preston of the Yukon and Jack London - stories that eventually led him to Alaska. But first came McQuaid Jesuit High School on full scholarship after placing first on his entrance exam. The high school debate champion scored another scholarship to Stanford University, where he studied art history and majored in sculpture. He earned his master's degree from San Francisco State University in special education, where he focused on mobility training for the blind.

Before moving north, Jim spent several summers as a fire lookout at Pacheco Peak, Calif., powering through piles of books and sewing outdoor gear on a treadle sewing machine. His mushing career began in Sonoma County by hooking pet huskies to a Harley-Davidson golf cart and trotting them down dirt roads.

Upon moving to Alaska, he became the first director of what's now the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. At the time, the center also served the deaf community, so American Sign Language became Jim's second language.

He took on sled dog racing in earnest after purchasing five huskies from the legendary George Attla. Jim left the Center in the early '80s to focus on racing, then returned to teach newly blind adults ways of navigating their newly darkened worlds.

Diagnosed with MS at 35, at the height of his racing career, Jim quietly gave up mushing in 1987, when he could no longer feel his feet on the sled runners. His book, The Speed Mushing Manual, was published two years later. He channeled his love of the sport into breeding dogs, serving as Alaska Regional Director of the International Sled Dog Racing Association, as a board member of Chugiak Dog Mushers, and as a commentator for the Fur Rendezvous and North American races. He also traveled to Japan to mentor its emerging mushing community.

As news of Jim's death spread among fellow mushers, Libby Riddles, first woman to win the Iditarod, referred to him as "the Great Sensei of Speed Mushing."

Jim is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, John and Maria Welch; nephew, Marc with son Jackson and daughter Shelby; nephew, Sean with wife Desiree and children Rory, Stassi and Quinn; several cousins; Jim's former wife and dear friend, Devony Lehner of Homer; and a prodigious circle of friends. The Welch family plans a celebration of life at a later date.