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Major League Baseball umpires speak at WMU

Jan. 27, 2010

KALAMAZOO-- Two brothers will share their experiences as Major League Baseball umpires when they speak Friday, Feb. 5, at Western Michigan University as part of the Keystone Breakfast Speaker Series.

Bill Welke, MLB umpire, and Tim Welke, crew chief and MLB umpire, will discuss "The Business of Blue (Baseball Umpiring)" in the Dean's Conference Room of Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business. The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the presentation following at 8 a.m.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling (269) 387-5050. Parking is available in the nearby Fetzer Center parking lot.

Bill Welke joined the MLB staff in 1999. He worked the Division Series in 2003 and 2006 and the 2003 All-Star Game. He attended the Jim Evans Umpire Academy in 1991 and has previously umpired in the Appalachian, Midwest, Florida State, Southern, Eastern and International leagues. He was born in Michigan, where he still resides with his wife, Theresa, a 1995 WMU graduate, and four children. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from WMU in 1990. During the off season he volunteers at children's schools, hunts and plays golf.

Tim Welke became a member of the MLB staff in 1984. He worked the All-Star Game in 1990 and 2005; the Division Series in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2008; League Championship Series in 1991, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006; and World Series in 1996, 2000, 2003 and 2008. He was crew chief for the 2006 National League Championship Series, the American League Division Series and the World Series in 2008. He has previously umpired in the Gulf Coast League, Florida State League, Eastern League, American Association, Florida Institutional League and Dominican Winter League. He and his wife, Patricia, have three children. He works with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Kalamazoo County, was inducted into the Coldwater High School Hall of Fame in 1988. He began umpiring children's games at age 16. He loves spending time with his family, coaching his sons' and daughter's basketball teams and hunting in the off-season.

These two MLB umpires and brothers served on the same crew in the 2005 and 2008 regular seasons.

The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Series is underwritten through the generosity of Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for the local community to hear prominent business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current business issues and corporate strategies as well as key information regarding the continuing progress of the college.

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Media contact: Valorie Juergens, (269) 387-5964, valorie.juergens@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
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