William R. Papallo

SOUTHINGTON - William R. Papallo of Southington, CT, passed away on April 12, 2013. He leaves behind his daughter, Anne Papallo; her mother, Patricia McLaughlin Papallo; two grandchildren, Alexandra "Alex" Papallo and John Papallo; and many great and wonderful friends.

Born in Meriden, on Oct. 11, 1932, Papallo was predeceased by his parents, George and Genevieve Ennis Papallo; and bothers George (Bob) and Donald Papallo. He attended Meriden schools, graduating from Meriden High School in 1951. He received a BS and MS from Central Connecticut State University and a sixth-year certificate and Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. He also attended the University of Arizona, Nijmegen University in the Netherlands, was an American Studies Scholar at Yale and a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands. Dr. Papallo taught history at Maloney High School from its inception until 1969, when he became an administrator in Middletown. He was a principal in Regional District 7 prior to becoming superintendent of schools in Meriden, a position he held from 1973 to 1983. From 1983 to 1992 he was superintendent of schools in Stamford. He then became vice president, then president, of the College of Westchester (formerly WBI) in White Plains, NY. Following his retirement, he served as a member of the board of trustees at the College of Westchester and finally as the chairman of the board of trustees. Always busy in retirement, Dr. Papallo held an interim superintendent position in the public schools of Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Region 6, Wethersfield and Litchfield. He also consulted; his last such assignment was in Abu Dhabi, assessing the education system there. As an international educator he also participated in study missions to the former Soviet Union and Japan and visited schools in Australia. He was a past president of the Connecticut Superintendents Association (CAPPS) and past president of the Connecticut Urban Superintendents Association. He was a member of numerous organizations during the course of his life. Travel, sports and reading were among his interests. Baseball was his favorite sport, having played at Meriden High. He was a varsity player at Central Connecticut State University and was baseball coach at Maloney at its inception. He was key player for the U.S. Army team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1956. He was also a scout for the Kansa City Athletics. In later years he indulged his love of travel and history further by visiting "every place in the world for which he had a passion," including Peru (Machu Picchu and the Amazon region), Tibet, Patagonia, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Egypt, Jordan, Western Africa, as well as most all European countries a number of times.

He will be missed by his loving daughter, Anne and his two grandchildren, Alexandra Nicole and John William Papallo; and his many friends of long standing.

A celebration of William's life will be held on Sunday, June 2, at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, 175 East Main St. Meriden, from 2 to 4 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 E. Main St., Meriden. For online condolences, please visit www.jferryfh.com