Donor Spotlight: Willis and Joan Rapp

Dr. Willis “Will” Rapp’s commitment to Kutztown University runs decades deep. In 1972, he was a student at West Chester University when his band director, Dr. James “Jim” Wells, asked him to drive to Kutztown University a few times a week to assist with the marching band’s percussion. Will didn’t know then that Jim and his brother, Dr. Richard Wells—who taught music at KU—would become lifelong influences.

“Mentors are so important,” Will reflected. “Without Jim and Richard, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Will became a percussion instructor and then a marching band director at Millersville University and Southeastern Louisiana University before moving to Iowa State University to serve as their marching band director. Then, in 1985, another call came: this time, from Richard. KU had approved a position for someone to take over the marching and concert bands. The person in this role would also be charged with starting a new percussion program.

“I knew where my path was leading,” Will said, and he and his wife, Joan, moved back to the area soon after. Will became KU’s Chair of the Department of Music, and Joan was with him every step of the way. “She is so supportive, and such an active participant.”

In 1990, the couple’s relationship with the university would ultimately be altered by the passing of Mamie Hartman Afflerbach ’20. Under the direction of donor Joyce Kutz Wehr ’46 and then-President David McFarland, a scholarship was created in Mamie’s honor to benefit students in the music program.

The gesture “made me realize that these scholarships are impactful,” Will said, “and that more scholarships need to be created.”

Will went on to give time and resources to KU as well as the Kutztown University Foundation, for which he began serving as a board member after his retirement in 2013. “It has been an honor to serve as a volunteer,” Will said.

The Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research building, which opened in 2023, bears both his name and the name of his mentor, Richard Wells; and Will and Joan have also created the Willis M. Rapp Percussion Scholarship, all while supporting existing funds and initiatives. It’s an impressive list, but Will keeps his focus on the students and how best to support them.

“They need to create the habit of practicing,” he said, recalling tips he’s shared with students over the years. “They need to take care of themselves first.”