Carl Boger Named First Clinton L. Rappole Endowed Chair

Alumni-driven fundraising campaign honors beloved professor with chair in his name

Dr. Clinton L. Rappole was honored with an endowed chair in his name thanks to the fundraising leadership efforts of alumna Dorothy Nicholson ’77. This chair is the fourth endowed chair at the Conrad N. Hilton College. Associate Dean Carl A. Boger Jr. is the first recipient of the Clinton L. Rappole Endowed Chair.

HOUSTON, Feb. 4, 2009— The legacy of beloved Professor Emeritus Clinton L. Rappole, who spent more than three decades teaching and mentoring students at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, has been sealed with the naming of Associate Dean Carl A. Boger Jr. as the first recipient of the Clinton L. Rappole Endowed Chair.

This chair is the fourth endowed chair at the Conrad N. Hilton College. The first three—the Conrad N. Hilton Distinguished Chair, the Barron Hilton Distinguished Chair and the Eric Hilton Distinguished Chair—were created and funded entirely by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. However, the Rappole Endowed Chair, while partially funded with matching contributions from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is the first endowed chair initiated by alumni and funded primarily through a group of more than 70 alumni and friends of the college. A campaign, led by alumna Dorothy Nicholson, class of 1977, raised $1.2 million for the chair. It was Nicholson’s zeal on behalf of her former professor that propelled the campaign to such success.

Rappole, who has been with the college since August 1972, was the college’s first Eric Hilton Distinguished Chair. In addition to his 33 years of teaching and mentoring students at the Hilton College, he served 11 years as Dean and Associate Dean. His interest and research in food service systems in remote and inhospitable locations—including space and offshore oil rigs—food safety management and sanitation led to lecturing and consulting experience worldwide.

Rappole said he was “overwhelmed” by the honor of having his name immortalized with the endowed chair. “I was just flabbergasted,” Rappole said. “To be honored with a chair in my name gives me great pleasure beyond the contentment I’ve experienced after many years of teaching. I’m so grateful to those folks who supported this campaign, and especially to Dorothy, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Boger said he, too, was honored to hold this endowed chair and would do everything he could to live up to such a revered name. “You’re talking about a true legend of this institution,” Boger said. “Endowments such as this help us attract and retain the best and the brightest and allow our faculty to have the resources to lead the industry and deliver the best education to students, as well as conduct important research. This is truly a wonderful thing for the college.”

The timing of the new chair coincides with an historic year for the college—it’s 40th anniversary. Rappole has been a vital part of the college’s history and now, through this chair, will be permanently etched into its future.

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Contact:
Barrett Goldsmith
(713) 743-1509
bgoldsmith@uh.edu