Jerry Rappaport (undated family photo)
A memorial service was on May 11 for Lincoln resident Jerome “Jerry” Rappaport, one of the most storied figures in modern Boston history. Jerry was a famed developer, philanthropist, and civic leader who helped transform the Boston skyline and is sometimes known as the man who rebuilt Boston.
Rappaport, who passed away in December 2021 at age 94, was honored with a celebration of life held at Harvard University. Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government is home to the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, which has helped educate many top government leaders in Boston and throughout the country and helped shape enduring public policy. Rappaport helped shape Boston’s current political scene by mentoring some of the best and brightest who are now top elected officials, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins, both of whom are Rappaport Fellows and spoke at the service.
Rappaport first came to prominence after graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School when he helped John B. Hynes defeat Boston Mayor James Michael Curley in the historic 1949 mayoral election. He quickly moved on to reshape Boston’s neighborhoods and skyline as a developer, most famously for the West End renewal project, which brought many residents back to the city and led to a housing renaissance.
While Rappaport’s legacy is evident in our current landscape, he is also credited with shaping our politics and creating a generation of government leaders who take a thoughtful approach to policy and governance. He founded the Harvard Law School Forum and New Boston Committee, which promoted and supported Boston City Council and School Committee candidates in a very successful venture. He also founded the Rappaport Institute for Law and Public Policy, which is now at Boston College Law School. With his beloved wife Phyllis, Rappaport also contributed more than $30 million to public policy, health, and arts initiatives through the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation.
The celebration of Jerry’s life was attended by a veritable “who’s who” of top government and education leaders. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told the crowd of hundreds that Rappaport “found ways to truly make a difference and the legacy of much of his work will live on long after many have joined him in the great beyond.”
“Someone like me, who never would have imagined any of this was possible — I am only here because Jerry believed it was possible,” Wu said.
Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow said Rappaport “believed in us, he created spaces for us, he made us all better than we might have been, stronger than we might have been, wiser than we might have been without him.”
A long list of dignitaries spoke at the Memorial Hall service honoring Jerry’s life, including others whose lives and career have been enhanced through participation at the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University and Rappaport Art Prize Winner, gave an emotional tribute in honor of her mentor.
Phyllis and Jerry Rappaport at Harvard Law School’s inaugural Rappaport Forum, launched in 2020 to promote discussions on current affairs. (Photo by Tom Fitzsimmons)
Others who spoke included Jerry Rappaport, Jr.; longtime former Rappaport Institute Director Ed Glaeser; former Massachusetts Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez; Dr. Jacob Hooker, professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School; and Chestnut Hill Realty CEO Edward Zuker.
The service concluded with a beautiful tribute to Jerry by his wife and true love, Phyllis Rappaport, who said, “Jerry was a life force with a twinkle in his eye — sharp, warm, incisive, mischievous, determined, brilliant, loving and loved.”
The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston strives to improve the governance of greater Boston by strengthening connections among the region’s scholars, students, and civic leaders. The institute pursues this mission by promoting emerging leaders, producing new ideas, and stimulating informed discussion. It was founded and funded by the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Charitable Foundation, which promotes emerging leaders in greater Boston.
In 2000, the foundation also funded the deCordova’s Sculpture Park and Museum’s annual $35,000 Rappaport Prize.
Rappaport is buried in Lincoln Cemetery. Donations in his memory may be made to the Rappaport Institute of Greater Boston.
Editor’s note: this is a lightly edited version of a piece provided to the Lincoln Squirrel by Regan Communications Group.