Rufus Carvel Clapp

Dr. Rufus Clapp, former principal of Millbrae School and Assistant Superintendent of the Millbrae School District, died from complications of cancer at age 90 on March 1, 2020. Dr. Clapp was an educator and an artist, a father and a husband. He is survived by his wife, Mary Frerking Clapp of Foster City, his brother, Gordon Russell Clapp (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) and his three children: Donna Koren (Seffner, FL), Brian Clapp (Evergreen, CO); Allen Clapp (Boulder Creek, CA); five grandsons, and two great grandsons. He was preceded in death by his parents, Gordon Rufus Clapp and Mary Peck Clapp. Rufus was born in Appleton, WI on Dec. 24, 1929, but spent his childhood in Norris, TN where his father served as Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Growing up in the rural community, he became involved in just about every aspect of small-town life—working as a shoe-shine boy in the barber shop, a soda jerk in the drug store, and a mail delivery assistant at the post office. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the local troop, served in the U.S. Army and later in the U.S. Air Force before studying education administration at Lawrence University. He earned his bachelor's degree at University of Tennessee where he met honor student Mary Frerking, and asked her if she would marry him and head West. She agreed. The Clapps moved to Las Vegas, NV in the early 1950s to teach before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. Rufus served as principal at Linda Vista Elementary school in San Jose while he began his post-graduate work at Stanford University. The family moved to Foster City in 1966 when Clapp began work with the Millbrae School District. He completed his doctoral dissertation and earned his Ed.D. from Stanford before becoming Assistant Superintendent of Millbrae Schools. Dr. Clapp was later named principal of Millbrae Elementary School, where his love of teaching children and his deep study of educational theory finally came together. To break down barriers between teachers, students, and principal, he moved his desk into the center of the open-plan school, making himself accessible to staff and students alike. In his spare time, he loved making things with his hands and he spent many happy hours in his home workshop crafting his projects with wood, ceramics, and metal. He also took a keen interest in genealogy, tracing the Clapp family back to Osgod Clapa, a nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England in the court of King Cnute. He taught smoking cessation classes for the American Cancer Society, and also volunteered regularly at Grace Lutheran Church, where he was a member for more than 50 years. He will be missed by many, and remembered for his dry wit, his attention to detail, and his public service. Services will be held Saturday, March 7th at Grace Lutheran Church in San Mateo, 2825 Alameda de las Pulgas, at 10 a.m. with reception following at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Grace Lutheran Church, San Mateo, CA, the American Cancer Society, or the International Myeloma Foundation.