The Randolph Society Foundation Board is pleased to announce that Don Welge, who took the helm of his family’s business as a young man and transformed it into a local cornerstone, will be inducted into the 2026 class of honorees.
Donald E. Welge was born in St. Louis on July 11, 1935. The eldest of three sons of William and Rudelle Welge, he was the descendent of entrepreneurs who had moved from Germany to Chester in the 19th century. His great-grandfather, Henry Gilster, arrived in Randolph County and set up a successful mercantile business on State Street.
Henry Gilster and his children expanded the family business, becoming owners and operators of the Buena Vista Mill in Chester and the Steeleville Milling Company. During Albert Gilster’s tenure as the owner of Steeleville’s mill, the company thrived, extending the market for its flour throughout southern Illinois and into several southern states. The elder of the Gilster sisters married Chester’s photographer, William Welge, and their elder son, Bill, followed his uncles into the family business. Eventually, Bill’s son, Don, followed the same path.
For more on Welge, please see this week’s print edition.