Mel Rapp Scholarship

Mel W. Rapp Exemplary Academic and Character Scholarship Program

The Mel Rapp Scholarship, created in 2022, rewards active Acacians for their exemplary academic achievements as well as their character, two of the attributes Mel Rapp valued most.

Starting for the Fall 2022 semester, $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for any active Acacian, meeting the requirements, that earns a grade point average higher than the IFC’s most recently published University of Illinois All-Men’s Average. $500 scholarships will also be awarded to those same Acacians that earn a GPA greater than 3.75.

Applicants must:

1. Submit the application and their official grade report no later than 2 weeks from when grades are released.
2. Have lived in the house for the semester for which is being applied
3. Have a signed 2-year housing contract on file and on track to fulfill the commitment
4. Have a security deposit on file
5. Have paid their house bill by the due date for the semester for which is being applied
6. No behavioral incidents with the Fraternity or University on record
7. Applicant must have a course load of at least 12 credit hours

You can take a moment to read about Mel below, or click here to read that and the eulogy of Mel by his granddaughter Taylor in the Winter 2017 edition of the Hello.

Mel Rapp’s second tenure of service to the Acacia Illinois Corporation Board began following a call for help to all-alumni in the summer of 2004. Numerous alumni attended the meeting, but within months, Mel was one of only a few committed alumni to then join the Corp Board, which he continued to lend his time, talents, and expertise up and he joined Acacia Eternal on June 10, 2014.

Mel mattered. He positively and profoundly affected those who were fortunate enough be involved in life. Acacia Fraternity – both the Illinois Chapter and the International Council – were true beneficiaries of the man initiated in 1949 under Chapter Role #710.

Mel was born on March 19, 1930 in Peoria, where he lived up and until attending U of I and was a member of the local Masonic Lodge. During his Senior year at U of I, Mel met his future wife, Carol Linde, on a set-up, double date between Acacia and Alpha Delta Pi. Mel and Carol married on August 14, 1954 in Rockford, while Mel served in the US Army, and they had two daughters (Lynn White and Shelley Wolf, who added seven grandchildren to the Rapp family). Mel earned his MBA at Bradley University and he worked as an executive in the dairy industry for Borden before retiring from Quality Chekd Dairy Association in 1990.

The driving and motivating force behind our Corporation Board’s and Active Chapter’s successes within the more recent past is due in large part to Mel’s direct efforts and those of other volunteer alumni members that Mel assisted and inspired through example or with friendly reminders when needed. Mel shared his expertise and wisdom through more in-person touches, meetings and communications with chapter members and alumni than probably any other alum, individually or combined, during his tenure. Equally as important, when Corporation Board members stepped down, or if personal or professional obligations prevented serving board members from completing roles or tasks, Mel stepped in with a laboring oar.

After serving on the Acacia Corp Board for several years, Mel gave a fellow member a Xerox copy of peice of paper, with a personal note on the back. The front side include the following quote:

“There is a single reason why 99 out of 100 never become leaders. That is their unwillingness to pay the price of responsibility. By the price of responsibility, I mean hard driving, and continuous work… the courage to make decisions … the scourging honesty of never fooling yourself about yourself. You must travel the road of leadership heavenly laden. While the nine-to-five o’clock worker takes ease, you are toiling upward through the night. Any new effort, the psychologists say, wears a new groove in the brain. And the grooves that lead to the heights are not made between nine and five. They are burned in by the midnight oil.” — Owen D. Young

The reverse side read: “This message was found in the wallet of my father, Karl, at his death in 1948 and was carried conspicuously and continually by me for 50 years throughout my business career lest I forget the message. To my very good friend [ ] 8-19-08 with my very best wishes.” — Mel Rapp

Mel burned the midnight, morning, afternoon and evening oils for his family, his friends, his profession, his fraternity and other volunteer organizations. Mel helped Art Mertes (’85 Initiate, Role #1533, Corp President, and board member since early 1990s) secure his first job as a lawyer.

Mel counseled Adam Powers (’98 Initiate, Role #1852) to still pursue his now wife and mother of his four kids after the two broke off their engagement. Mike Duncan (’74 Initiate, Role #1243) affirmed “it was my privilege to have known Mel and that his moral compass and ability to look forward when things are so different from the past are something I will attempt to emulate the rest of my life.”