For the love of sports, and Wetumpka

When Edgar Welden’s grandchildren don’t know the answer to one of his trivia questions, they know what to say: Wetumpka.

The children are all well-versed in their grandfather’s stories about growing up in the small town, just as they are ready to take on his bets for sporting events.

With these close family ties, Welden has chosen his seven grandchildren, along with Mary Frances Robertson, to serve as trainbearers when he dons the crown as king of the 46th Beaux Arts Krewe Ball on Feb. 8.

Always an adventurer, King Edgar and his wife, Louise, have traveled the world in search of sporting events.

“Louise has been supportive of all my foolishness – from going through a hurricane in Antarctica to being hit by a baseball in Denver and breaking her arm,” he said. “How fortunate I am to have had her put up with all my foolishness.”

The couple has traveled to four Olympic Games and last year took their children and grandchildren to London for the Games.

An avid tennis player since high school, Welden has been to the French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and all the major golf tournaments (even though he does not golf, he notes).

In 1997 he took a year off to journey to 200 sporting events, which he documented in a book, Time Out: A Sport’s Fan’s Dream. To print it, he started his own “hobby” company, Will Publishing, named after his oldest grandchild.

Will Publishing has collaborated with Tom and Jan Bailey of Seacoast Publishing to createa series of books about famous Alabamians for fourth graders that study Alabama history in school. Last year, the company published a book on Wetumpka’s history from 1942-1965 titled Wetumpka: The Golden Years.

Welden is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he met his wife and where both of their children, Ann Welden Holman and Edgar Jr., would later meet their spouses, Jamie and Danielle, respectively. So, of course, the family knows where their football allegiance lies.

Welden is an active member of the A Club at Alabama and was given the University of Alabama Distinguished Alumni Award. Last fall, he taught a class at the Honors College at Alabama on “Life After the Honors Program.”

Armed with a degree in real estate, he partnered with his older brother, Charles, to start managing student apartments in Tuscaloosa. The duo grew their property management, mortgage and real estate business into WeldenField in Birmingham. Today the brothers have retired, and their sons run the business.

In keeping with his passion for both sports and his home state, Welden is proud to talk about the programs he runs as Chairman of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. The Bryant Jordan Scholarship Program offers 100 scholarships a year to high school seniors who excel in not just sports but also academics and community involvement. Also, the Birmingham Athletic Partnership provides funding for athletic departments, bands and cheerleaders in Birmingham City Schools, thanks to strong corporate support they have.

Welden has also been active in the Republican Party since 1966. He is the former state chairman of the Alabama Republican Party and for 12 years served as one of two state representatives on the Republican National Committee.

“But the rest of the time he serves me,” Louise said with a smile.

In 1987, he volunteered for the Alabama Development office under Governor Guy Hunt. In 1988-89, he was Chairman of the Alabama Reunion, a two-year celebration promoting Alabama tourism, heritage and economic development.

Back in Birmingham, Welden is a member of the Quarterback Club and Tipoff Club, and he and Louise are members at Mountain Brook Community Church.

Welden plays tennis with friends two to three times a week at Mountain Brook Club and the Country Club of Birmingham, where he is a member. For 20 years he was a part of “The Turkeys,” a Sunday afternoon tennis group at Birmingham Country Club that has since retired.

The couple enjoys relaxing and visiting with friends from Elmore County at their home on Lake Martin, where Welden has been visiting since growing up in nearby Wetumpka.

A longtime Krewe member, Welden said he is looking forward to having a good time, eating and drinking, and being with friends and family at the Ball.

“It is an honor for my family to be involved in the Krewe,” he said. “Its continued support for the Birmingham Museum of Art is important for our community. I am grateful to the Krewe Committee and to all who make it such a fun event. I am so appreciative for the opportunity to have a good time and to honor our daughters.”