“The guy was a pragmatist. He was a great leader, and he knew how to get things done. John Turkevich and myself loved having meetings with him. He also gave away General Electric scholarships to Princeton!”
“We were working on Electro-magnetic-resonance (MRI) not really nmres.”
Barnicle, who narrated the audio version of the best-selling book “Straight from the Gut,” said he and Jack each grew up going to Catholic mass in their respective working-class towns in Massachusetts. He knew Welch as a “guy who never really forgot who he was and where he came from.”
“All those years, he never lost his faith,” Barnicle said. “Maybe he lost his way sometimes… but he never lost his faith.”
Barnicle said he imagined Jack being welcomed by Jesus and the 12 apostles. Would Jack look at the 12 Apostles and say, “Why 12?!”
The honorary pallbearers to carry the coffin from the church included New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, billionaire Barry Diller, former NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack and Home Depot billionaire financier Ken Langone.
Among those proceeding with the billionaires, GE brass and celebrities to accompany the coffin to the hearse were two men of the cloth: Cardinal Dolan and Rev. Jimmy Scroggins.
