Gerald Welch (1964- ) was born in Gibson City, Illinois, where he quickly became an avid reader and burgeoning artist. After his father died in 1977, Jerry moved to Texas, where he began teaching himself guitar. He became a DJ and then bass guitarist for The Silver Nickel Band. Jerry joined the Army in 1986 as a broadcaster, serving his entire career in Korea, earning the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award for directing in 1988. Jerry is married and has five children.He authors The Last Witness series and co-authored the Legacy series with Warren Murphy until Murphy's death in 2015. He continues to write the series by himself.