For Immediate Release

Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: November 14, 2025

Nelson reflects on founding of college’s welding program

Fennimore -

When David Nelson arrived in Fennimore in 1968, there was no welding shop, no building—just a cement floor in a hayfield and a promise. At 89 years old, Nelson still recalls those early days. “They told me there’d be a building up by the time I got here,” he said. “When I showed up, the director pointed to a cement slab and said, ‘Here’s where your shop will be.’”A press release, dated July 9, 1968, announced Nelson’s hiring. “As an instructor in the full-time welding course, beginning in September, Nelson will place major emphasis on the development of manipulative skills,” it stated.

Nelson’s assignment was clear: start a welding program from the ground up. He was Southwest Wisconsin Technical College’s first welding instructor, hired to design the curriculum, order the equipment, and prepare a functioning lab for students by the fall of 1969. In addition, Nelson planned and built a mobile welding trailer, the first of its kind on campus. It was useful, being able to be transported to sites in southwest Wisconsin for training.

Working from that lone cement foundation, Nelson built what would become one of the college’s cornerstone programs. “We didn’t have much—no building, no materials—but we had determination,” he said. “That was enough.”

Born in South Dakota, Nelson served four years in the U.S. Air Force as a flight engineer before earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial education. He taught woodworking and industrial courses at the high school level in Michigan before moving to Wisconsin to help launch Southwest Tech’s technical programs.

His resourcefulness and dedication helped establish the college’s identity in its early years. “I was teaching full days while also helping build the shop,” he recalled. “Temporary offices were set up in the ‘old white building,’ across from the elementary school. Theory classes were taught at the Catholic school, various churches, and tavern basements.”

Nelson’s leadership extended beyond the classroom. He forged relationships with regional manufacturers, most notably John Deere, which regularly hired Southwest Tech graduates. “They knew our students could weld fast and work hard,” Nelson said. “That’s what employers wanted.”

The welding program quickly gained a reputation for producing job-ready graduates, many of whom went on to long, successful careers in industry. Nelson’s influence was evident not only in the equipment he helped secure or the shop he built, but in the values he instilled—discipline, pride in craftsmanship, and a strong work ethic.

He remained at Southwest Tech until 1974, leaving behind a fully developed program and generations of students who benefited from his example. Today, the college’s modern welding lab stands as a continuation of the foundation Nelson built more than half a century ago.

Looking back, Nelson is both humble and amused. “We didn’t have a blueprint,” he said. “Just a cement floor, a few welders, and a lot of faith that we could make it work. Turns out, we did.”

Nelson currently resides in Fennimore with his wife of 68 years, Pat. They have three children, seven grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.