Mary Ann (Walp) Sedlock ’56, KU FOUNDATION RAPP WILLIS & JOAN MARY ANN (WALP) SEDLOCK’S 43YEARS OFGIVING BY HEDY GERACE Dr. Willis “Will” Rapp’s commitment to Kutztown University runs decades deep. In 1972, he was a student at West Chester University when his band director, Dr. James “Jim” Wells, asked him to drive to KU a few times a week to assist with the marching band’s percussion. Rapp didn’t know then that Wells and his brother, Dr. Richard Wells '22 L.H.D—who taught music at KU—would become lifelong influences. “Mentors are so important,” Rapp said. “Without Jim and Richard, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Rapp became a percussion instructor and then a marching band director at Millersville University and Southeastern Louisiana University before moving to Iowa State University to serve as its marching band director. Then, in 1985, another call came: this time, from Richard Wells. KU had approved a position for someone to take over the marching and concert bands. The person in this role would also be charged with starting a new percussion program. “I knew where my path was leading,” Rapp said, and he and his wife, Joan, moved back to the area soon after. He became KU’s chair of the music department, and Joan was with him every step of the way. “She is so supportive and such an active participant,” Rapp said. In 1990, the couple’s relationship with the university would ultimately be altered by the passing of Mamie Hartman Afflerbach (Class of 1920). Under the direction of donor Joyce Kutz Wehr ’46 and then-President David McFarland, a scholarship was created in Mamie’s honor to benefit students in the music program. The gesture “made me realize that these scholarships are impactful,” Rapp said, “and that more scholarships need to be created.” Rapp went on to give time and resources to KU as well as the Kutztown University Foundation, for which he began serving as a board member after his retirement in 2013. “It has been an honor to serve as a volunteer,” he said. The Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research building, which opened in 2023, bears both his name and the name of his mentor, Richard Wells; and the Rapps also created the Willis M. Rapp Percussion Scholarship, all while supporting existing funds and initiatives. It’s an impressive list, but Rapp keeps his focus on the students and how best to support them. The Kutztown University community mourned the passing of one of the institution’s most steadfast supporters, in February 2024. Sedlock’s first donation to her alma mater was a $35 gift to the Keystone Newspaper, and her philanthropy grew to include gifts to the Annual Fund, the Class of 1956 Scholarship, and a named classroom in Schaeffer Auditorium as part of the 2012 “Setting the Stage” campaign. Her latest contribution, a $1.46 million estate gift, is an unrestricted bequest that culminates an incredible consecutive 43 years of philanthropy. Sedlock’s generosity has transformed the university, ensuring that future generations of students benefit from her commitment. The patio at the front entrance to the Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research was dedicated in honor of Sedlock on June 13. We are grateful for her legacy of giving and the profound impact she has made at KU. 12 TOWER | FALL 2025
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