Clarence D. Rappleyea, Jr. was so respected by the students of the South New Berlin High School, where he taught for a few years, that they dedicated their 1959 yearbook to him. (Submitted photo)

The Norwich High School (NHS) Hall of Distinction Committee has selected the first six NHS alumni to be included in the Hall of Distinction. Individuals selected have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields, including community services, the arts, medical professions, military service, and more, with their contributions having a distinctive impact on a local to global level.

Clarence D. Rappleyea, Jr.: Beloved teacher, lawyer, and politician

by Harry Graves

“Affable and approachable” was how the governmental crowd in Albany viewed Clarence D. Rappleyea, Jr. But to the local folks back home, feelings for “Rapp” run much, much deeper.

The man with the firm handshake and warm smile, he was the local kid who had moved on to achieve grand things but whose heart always remained in Norwich and Chenango County.

Rappleyea graduated from Norwich High School in the Class of 1951. From those early years, he already had the respect of those around him. He was Class President for four years, was a talented athlete and captain of the basketball team, and was president of the high school choir.

There are two relevant quotes that will catch the eye of anyone perusing the 1951 Norwich High School yearbook, The Archive. Asked for his life’s ambition, Rappleyea responded, “To be of service to people.” His biggest peeve, “People too busy to say hello.”

After graduation, he attended Wagner College on Staten Island and played baseball for the Seahawks before completing his undergraduate degree at the State University of New York in Albany.

With Bachelor of Arts degree in hand, Rapp returned to Chenango County and taught at South New Berlin High School for a couple years before working on his law degrees. He was so respected by the students in Southtown that the high school yearbook was dedicated to him in 1959.

The dedication page reads in part, “May this yearbook serve to express our thanks for your devotion to our academic guidance and your friendly encouragement throughout our undergraduate years.”

Rappleyea taught Citizenship Education and served as advisor for the Class of 1959 for two years. Multiple students in that class told me how much they appreciated his association with them.

John Robinson recalled how Rapp was there for all class activities, including many functions outside of school.

Ann Ford Sebeck commented on the quality of his instruction saying, “He loved teaching and he was very dedicated to history and government. He even chaperoned our class trip to Washington.”

Still young and daring, Rapp’s hobby was the envy of his students and of many others in his age group. He spent weekends racing on Formula Ford’s team in ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee for the United States) sanctioned competitions, an avocation that he would later characterize as “safer than politics."

Years later, he reflected back to his racing days, “Trying to fit into those racers now is nothing but a dream.”

Rappleyea completed his Juris Doctorate studies at the Cornell University School of Law in 1962, was admitted to the NYS Bar in 1964, and established his law practice in Norwich.

It was about this time when I first met Rapp. I was teaching in the Norwich schools and Rapp’s youngest daughter was in my class. Susan made sure that her classmates knew exactly how to say her name. Her instructions were clear and simple: "Put 'R' in front of 'apple' and cheer." We never forgot it. “R – apple – yay."

Rappleyea became the Norwich City Attorney and served in that position until 1973, when he moved on to the New York State Assembly and his constituency grew beyond just Chenango County to neighboring counties.

A superb campaigner, he soon had earned the loyalty of both the voters and the political leaders in his entire district.

One of Rapp’s campaign events soon became a fixture on the local calendar every summer. “Lobsterfest," dubbed as Central New York’s biggest “non-political, political event," attracted community leaders from every corner of the state, from every level of government, who wanted to increase their exposure and “kibitz” with State government VIPs. Lobsterfest lasted for more than 30 years, first at the Canasawacta Country Club and later at the Northeast Classic Car Museum.

Rappleyea served as Minority Leader in 1983 until 1995, a period when his Republicans never held more than 58 seats in the 150-member Assembly. Yet he was able to keep his conservative group together to oppose the spending proposals of Governor Mario Cuomo.

And those years would lead to some significant changes in New York State government. Rapp’s professed goal was to elect a majority in the Assembly. He didn’t come close to succeeding, but he did help elect the first Republican governor in 20 years.

Veteran Albany operative E.J. McMahon served as Rappleyea’s director of the Assembly Minority Ways and Means staff from 1991 to 1994. In a blog commenting on Rapp’s passing, McMahon said Rappleyea laid the groundwork for George Pataki's election as governor.

"Pataki's administration was staffed largely with other veterans of Rappleyea's Assembly team, and its most successful policies (including a historic personal income tax cut) came out of Rappleyea's playbook," McMahon wrote. "Indeed, if there had been no Minority Leader Rappleyea, there would have been no Governor Pataki."

Later in his career, Rappleyea was appointed by Governor Pataki to serve as Trustee of the New York Power Authority. He was elected by the Trustees to serve as Chairman in July 1995.

Rapp led the nation's largest state-owned public power enterprise until January 2001. The organization's headquarters in White Plains, Westchester County, was subsequently named in his honor.

Rappleyea was never forgotten by Wagner College either. 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.

Rapp and his wife of 60 years (Nancy Oates Rappleyea, herself a 1952 NHS grad) have both passed and are buried in Norwich’s Mount Hope Cemetery. His three daughters – Pam, Stacy, and Susan – all are married and settled out of the area. All are fondly remembered by those of us who had the honor of knowing the Rappleyea family.

To close this brief biography, I go back to Rapp’s 1951 Norwich High School yearbook and note what his classmates wrote about the young Clarence Rappleyea: “One in a million.”

The NHS Hall of Distinction Committee aims to recognize and commemorate alumni of Norwich high schools who have made outstanding in the areas of, but not limited to, profession, community service, commerce, religion, and art. This Hall of Distinction established in 2024 is intended to serve as a vision and source of pride for our community and student body.

To nominate an NHS alum for the Hall of Distinction, complete the nomination form found at norwichcsd.org/documents/district/211781 and submit to NCSD Event Coordinator Rich Turnbull at rturnbull@norwichcsd.org, or dropped off at the District Office at 89 Midland Drive in Norwich no later than May 1, 2025.