Harry W. Rapp, Jr.

Harry W. Rapp, Jr. was born February 1, 1921 in Detroit, MI. He attended elementary and high school in Detroit and received a degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University in 1943. After graduation, he entered the U.S. Air Force and was commissioned 2nd Lt. at the AAF Technical Training School, Yale University, 1944. Harry served in the South Pacific, Tinian and Okinawa, as an aircraft armament/engineering officer. He went to inactive duty in 1946 as a Captain. Harry was married on April 8, 1944 to Elizabeth Jane Carew in Detroit. The couple had 2 children, Douglas W. and Barbara Sue. Harry accepted the position of Chemical Engineer with the American Agricultural Chemical Co. in Detroit from 1947 to 1952. In 1952, Mr. Rapp joined the Travelers Insurance Co. in the Engineering and Loss Control Dept. He was transferred to Hartford, CT in 1954 as Chemical Eng. in the Chemical, Environmental and Products Safety Unit. He served in that unit until retirement in 1982. Harry supervised over Chemical, Nuclear, and Industrial Health loss control. He was a member of the National Safety Council, American Indus-trial Hygiene Assoc., Health Physics Society, and American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He served on various National standards commit-tees, was a registered Professional Engineer, and a Certified Safety Professional. Harry was a member and Past Master of Se-quin Lodge #140 of Master Masons in Newington, CT.From 1957 to date. Mr. Rapp was a member of the Rushlight Club, the earliest established organization for the study of one phase of antiquity, that is the study, collec-tion and education on early lighting devices and use. He was Past President, Newsletter Editor, a frequent lecturer on lighting as well as writing several papers on the subject. He was the coauthor of two books on early lighting.Harry was a volunteer docent at the Connecticut Historical Society, Hart-ford, CT. He was also a volunteer to the Director of the Wethersfield Historical Society and Museum, Wethersfield, CT to assist with artifacts and was guest Curator to mount a major lighting exhibit at the museum. He was a volunteer at the Connecticut Fireman's Historical Society where he served on the Board of Directors. Additionally, he served as the Registrar of their museum in a 1900 historical firehouse, setup a registration database program, and cataloged all artifacts on the computer pro-gram. He served as a guide, particularly for school groups and he did extensive research on the history of the fire services. Harry retired with his wife, Elizabeth, to Bradenton, FL in 1990. There, he served on the Manatee County Election Board and was board member and Treasurer for Village Green Condominium section Seven from 1990 to 2000. Mr. Rapp volunteered at the Gamble Plantation State Historic site in Ellenton as a guide, but was more involved in the setup of a computer program and database for all State owned artifacts on the site. He worked with on-going genealogical development of the Gamble family. As such, he established a database and several genealogical charts for several branches of the family, including frequent up-dates as more information was found, largely through family related visitors from 1991 to 2009. Harry was a member and volunteer of the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. He worked with five different curators on cataloging and conserving artifacts, assisted in mounting exhibits, and did background research on historical projects. After the departure of the previous curator, Harry filled in as interim curator for eight months until a new professional came on staff. He served as a judge for five years on the annual Manatee County History Fair. Harry was a member of Palma Sola Presbyterian Church in Bradenton. He went to be with the Lord on March 19, 2017. Harry is survived by his two children. A private family service will be held at a future date.

Tributes

Harry W. Rapp, Jr.

February 1, 1921 - March 19, 2017