John Hilton Rappole, PhD

John Hilton Rappole Sr., PhD, died suddenly and unexpectedly at home on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, beginning what the obituary describes as his own “migration mystery.” He was born on November 10, 1946, in Jamestown, New York, to Dr. Albertus Whitney and Francesca Elizabeth Goodell Rappole. After graduating from Colgate University with a B.A. in Biology and completing further zoology training at the University of Minnesota, he earned an M.S., PhD, and post-doctorate in vertebrate zoology by 1976. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968, he served from 1969 to 1971, rising to First Lieutenant and receiving a Bronze Star and Commendation Medal. During 1973 to 1975, his research with Bonnie—his wife since June 11, 1966—included capturing and banding more than 30,000 birds of over 150 species in the Tuxtla Mountains. The obituary credits his work with developing a “Dispersal Theory” and leading five major ornithological expeditions to Myanmar.