Richard Tapscott, BJ ’70

Richard Tapscott, BJ ’70, died Dec. 1, 2013. He worked for several newspapers during his career, including the Washington Post, the Des Moines Register, and other newspapers in Wilmington, Del.; Kansas City; Wichita, Kan., Oklahoma City; Fayetteville, N.C.; and Trenton, Mo. He retired from the newspaper business in 2007 and began teaching at Drake University.

Jack Kinney, BJ ’69, sent the following thoughts about Rick Tapscott:
Rick was my pledge brother at Sigma Nu fraternity, my roommate and a fellow J-School graduate. Rick always wanted to be a newspaper man. We kidded “Tap had a nose for news.” After graduating, Rick served his country in the Army, married, had three children and pursued his career as a newspaper journalist. Rick was humble, so he never talked about his accomplishments. He was a terrific father. Rick’s strength and compassion shined when his older sister, Shirley, came down with cancer. Shirley needed a stem cell transplant, and Rick was her donor. Last year I needed a stem cell donor. My brother Roger, also a Missouri graduate, was my donor. Rick coached us through the process and helped us overcome our fears. Thankfully, Shirley and I are doing well. Finally, Rick was a True Son of Ole Mizzou. We talked twice a week about our beloved Tigers. Rick was in a Des Moines hospital when he heard the news about the Tigers win against A&M on Nov. 30. He said, “I’m happy.” Rick died on Sunday morning.

Updated: December 5, 2013