Clarence D. Rappleyea ’56 H’98, a former Wagner trustee, died on September 4, 2016. He was 82 years old.
Known as “Rapp,” Dr. Rappleyea was an accomplished and distinguished public servant in the state of New York. He was the city attorney for his hometown, Norwich, New York; representative to the New York State Assembly for 22 years, with 12 years as Republican minority leader; and trustee and chairman of the New York Power Authority. That organization’s headquarters in White Plains is named in his honor.
Dr. Rappleyea attended Wagner College and played baseball for the Seahawks before completing his undergraduate degree at the State University of New York in Albany. He served on Wagner’s Board of Trustees from 1987 to 1999 and was instrumental in the College’s progress during that period of time. The College awarded him an honorary doctorate in public policy in 1998. The Albany Law School also honored him by establishing the Clarence D. Rappleyea Government Scholar in Residence program, part of its Government Law Center.
