Todd Welden was born in Iowa Falls on Sept. 9, 1963. The son of Jerry and Ramona (Ricke) Welden and one of eight siblings. He graduated from the Iowa Falls High School in 1982, and subsequently attended the University of Iowa.Todd Welden passed away on October. 21, 2013, after a brief, but hard-fought, battle with cancer. His wife, Cam, was at his side. After several formative jobs in the golf industry, Todd was named Head Golf Professional at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club. He began in August 1993, before the Club opened to the public in 1994 until his death 20 years later. He excelled and became its Director of Golf and had a gift of hiring talented people. In addition to being an avid golfer and surfer, Todd loved motorcycles. He was a zealous New Orleans Saints and Iowa Hawkeyes football fan. He introduced his wife Cam to cycling and they both enjoyed travelling to Colorado, Costa Rica and any excuse to be near the ocean. Family, friends and colleagues remember Todd for his ready smile, sense of humor and uplifting disposition. Those fortunate to know him speak of his love for children and animals and ... at least one daily stop at Starbuck’s. Todd was generous. With no credit to cancer, he died with only one kidney. In 2010, after noticing a billboard encouraging organ donation, he decided to donate a kidney simply because he wanted to “give back.” Welden had no idea who would receive his gift, although he and the recipient became friends following the successful transplant. In his life and career, Todd contributed much and was recognized for excellence. He served on the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce Board for at least two terms. He was a respected member of the PGA of America since 1993. In 2005, he was given the distinguished honor as the Carolinas Section Merchandiser of the Year; he was nominated again the year he passed away. Welden was serving on the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Association and was president of his community property owners’ association board at the time of his death. Todd’s scholarship was established by his father, Jerry Welden as the lead gift to the 125th Anniversary Scholarship campaign. Jerry’s vision for the scholarship was to ensure there would be a guaranteed continuance of Todd’s special attributes of sharing and caring for others. Jerry’s relationship with Dr. Peter Jahr and ECC instructor Joerg Rochlitzer helped in developing a cultural exchange with students and agribusiness in the Saxony area of Germany where Jerry had traveled several times. Jerry realized Todd’s sense of adventure and generosity toward others could be memorialized and could become the vehicle needed to make these cultural exchanges continue to be possible. With the Todd Welden Memorial Scholarship, deserving students can be sent to the Saxony area for work study, formal classes, cultural exchange or other opportunities that might present themselves and German students can receive support for their studies at Ellsworth.