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Dominic Welch was a bit of an anomaly as publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Following a nearly 100-year string of Irish-Americans at the newspaper's helm, Welch was the son of Italian immigrants for whom English was a second language.

And while his predecessors' training and education focused on the culture, ethics and the craft of journalism, Welch was an accountant.

"I've made the comment that I've been the best president and the worst publisher this paper has ever had," Welch told Salt Lake City Magazine in a 1998 interview. "I'm biased like everyone else and the conflict of interest is hard for me. I'm learning. I'm improving. But frankly, accounting is easier for me than editing."

Welch, whose career at The Tribune and its affiliate Newspaper Agency Corp. spanned 37 years, died Wednesday at age 84 of brain cancer.

Known for his quiet modesty and subdued charm, Welch's self-effacing comment was challenged in the same magazine story by former Tribune Editor Jay Shelledy.

"He's just being modest," Shelledy said. "The fact that Dominic's background is on the business end of the paper prompts him to say he's not a good publisher, but he's a fast study."

Shelledy added: "Dominic reads the newspaper not as a publisher but as a reader. He has a feel for stories that connect with traditional readers. He's not totally immersed in rituals and machinations on the editorial side, but he understands good stories and likes hard news."

Welch moved over from the financial side of the newspaper's operations to publisher in 1994 and quickly immersed himself in the editorial side of the daily. He became a strong influence on the editorial stands The Tribune took on local, national and international issues.

He also guided The Tribune during a tumultuous time when the paper was sold to the cable television giant TCI and later to AT&T, and then to the newspaper chain MediaNews Group (MNG) as the original owners from the Kearns Family Trust became embroiled in a lengthy and bitter lawsuit with MNG and the Deseret News to try and buy back the paper.

The lawsuit finally was settled and MNG became the new owner. As that result was looking more inevitable, Welch — a longtime loyalist to the Kearns family and the traditions that had been set by previous Publishers John Fitzpatrick, Jack Gallivan and Jerry O'Brien — decided to retire in 2002.

"I assume I'll be out of here," Welch told The Associated Press about the prospects of being retained by the eventual new owner. "I have no intention of sitting here and arguing the point."

"Dominic was a new brand of publisher when he took over The Tribune's top job in 1994. Unlike his predecessors, Jack Gallivan and Jerry O'Brien, he was neither a newsman nor a writer. He was a CPA who had come up through the business side of the newspaper, which he knew intimately," said former Tribune editorial writer Paul Wetzel.

"His expertise as a numbers guy rather than a word guy shaped the way he remolded the paper's editorial policy. He wanted to keep The Tribune's liberalism on social issues, but he also wanted to bring an appreciation for fiscal discipline to our opinion pages. His deep understanding of taxes and budgets gave the page a new perspective. He also brought two writers with more conservative views onto the page's staff."

Kirk Millson, one of those conservative editorial writers, added his own perspective on Welch.

"He was smart and funny, and he always treated his employees with the greatest respect," Millson said. "I worked for him during the battle for ownership of The Tribune, which was a stressful time for all of us. He was often traveling, which left the editorial staff to make a few executive decisions on the paper's positions. But even though some of my editorials caused him heartburn, he never showed it. He was always cheerful, and he always had my back when the blowback came from something I had written. He was the world's best boss, and one of the finest men I've ever had the pleasure to know."

Another former editorial writer, Diane Cole, said when Welch become publisher and ran the editorial board meetings, she often would disagree with him on stances The Tribune should take on issues. She usually landed on the left and Welch more to the right.

They would argue and argue, cordially but passionately.

When Cole retired in 1998, Welch took her to lunch at downtown Salt Lake City's Alta Club and, as a going-away gift, gave her the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, a favorite novel of the right wing.

Welch grew up in Utah's coal country, attending the Notre Dame Catholic School and Carbon College (now Utah State University Eastern) in Price.

After graduating from the then-two-year college, he served in active duty with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, earning a Combat Infantry Badge, a Korean Service Medal and United Nations Service Medal.

After returning home from the war, he attended Utah State University in Logan, where he earned a business accounting degree and later became a certified public accountant.

After working 10 years for the Haskins & Sells national accounting firm, he joined Kearns-Tribune Corp. in 1965 as controller. He was promoted to general manager of The Tribune, and Newspaper Agency Corp. director and treasurer.

"Dominic was the outstanding chief financial officer of Kearns-Tribune Cor. for several decades when he assumed the publisher's role after the untimely death of Jerry O'Brien," said advertising executive Mickey Gallivan, son of longtime Tribune Publisher Jack Gallivan.

"The years to come turned out to be critical in determining The Tribune's future. Dominic helped steer through the merger with TCI cable, which was a strategic plan to get the large taxable value of the company into the hands of the individual owners," said Mickey Gallivan, who at the time served on the Kearns-Tribune board.

"The move was meant to protect the company's financial stability from potentially devastating estate taxes," he added. "And it helped bring tangible equity to many longtime Tribune employees. However, the contracted buyback of The Tribune was thwarted by threatened lawsuits from the Deseret News. Dominic was an amazing loyal steward during the subsequent legal fight over control of the newspaper. Dominic will always be loved for his care of the KT ownership family and the whole Tribune family."

Besides his employment with The Tribune, Welch served on numerous boards including Catholic Charities, Judge Memorial Catholic High School board of financial trustees, National Institute of Newspaper Controllers and Finance Officers.

He also served on the ethics committee of the Utah State Bar, was financial adviser to the Governor's Columbus Day Commission and was on the board of trustees for Westminster College.

He served on several corporate boards, including Tracy Collins Bank & Trust Co., First Interstate Bank, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Utah and Silver King Mining Co.

He married Jeanette Vigorelli in Helper, and the couple had four children and two grandchildren.

Funeral services will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. with a rosary followed by Mass at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1375 Spring Lane, Holladay. Afterward, a reception will take place at the Benvegnu Center at St. Vincent. —