Br. Hector Bernard

Vincent Rapp was born on June 12, 1933, the son of Vincent and Catherine (Altenbach) Rapp in St. Louis, Missouri where he attended Saint Gabriel the Archangel elementary school in Saint Louis and then Christian Brothers College High School until he entered the Juniorate and later the Novitiate in 1948 in Glencoe, Missouri. He completed his B.S. degree at St. Mary’s College in Winona and later his M.Ed. degree from St. Mary’s as well. His M.S. degree he completed at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, and his Ph.D. from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. He began his teaching career at De La Salle Military Academy in Kansas City, Missouri in 1955 and from there moved in 19574 to De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1960 he was assigned to Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, Minnesota and in 1963 to Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Indiana. 1969 found Brother Bernard assigned to Montini High School in Lombard, Illinois but a year later he began his long and distinguished career at Lewis College (now University) in Lockport Illinois. After 45 years of service at Lewis University he retired as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and University Archivist on January 30, 2018. The Brother Bernard Rapp, FSC Lecture on Faith and Science, is an annual lecture that brings to campus “scholars who explore the dynamic harmony and tensions of the Catholic faith and the scientific disciplines.” Named for Brother Bernard this lecture series recognizes Brother Bernard’s distinguished career as a dedicated teacher, an exemplary scientist, and a Christian Brother committed to his vocation and to his faith.” A native of St. Louis, Brother Barnard taught in the sciences at Lewis University from 1973 to 2000. He began assisting the late Brother Ambrose Groble, FSC, founder of the Archives at Lewis University in 1992. Brother Bernard was named University Archivist in 2000 following his retirement from teaching. In documenting and collecting Lewis University history, Brother Bernard conducted dozens of oral interviews with alumni, faculty, administrators, and staff about earlier years at Lewis. He collected artifacts, catalogued publications by Lewis University writers, and entered thousands of pieces of information and documents into existing and new files to assure that the history of the University was assembled and viable for future generations. He died on August 9, 2020, at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois at age eighty-seven having been a De La Salle Christian Brother for sixty-nine years.