A. Richard Tinapp's Obituary
A. Richard Tinapp, 83, passed away on Saturday, April 14, 2018. He was born in New Jersey on September 10, 1934 to the late Myra Rose and George Tinapp. In 1956 he married Jean Hallenbeck and together they raised two children and shared many adventures. He received both his B.A. in English and his M.A. in Literature from the University at Albany and his Ph.D in Theatre from Northwestern University. He began his career in 1956 as an Associate Professor at the State University of New York Agricultural and Technical College at Cobleskill, NY. In 1968 he accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he would teach Theatre and Speech for 22 years. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Tinapp chaired the department for three years, served as Interim Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Letters and Sciences, was on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Theatre Association, co-founded and directed the Wisconsin Touring Theatre Company, founded the Summerstage program at UW-La Crosse that continues to this day, served as business manager for the University Theatre, was a member of the La Crosse Community Theatre's Board of Directors, and directed over one hundred productions ranging from the classics to the modern and through every period, genre, and style. He considered his directorial work to be the culmination of his research and creative efforts. A proud accomplishment of his career came in 1990 when he was awarded sabbatical leave by UW-La Crosse to study regional theatre in the United States. In 1992 he was recognized by the Alliance for Wisconsin Theatre Education for "Outstanding contributions, exemplary leadership, and a lifetime of service to theatre education in Wisconsin". In 1994 he retired from UW-L. He and Jean spent the next 15 years as full-time RVers traveling the country, enjoying live theatre, and taking their grandchildren on yearly camping trips. Dr. Tinapp is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jean (Tavares, FL); his daughter, Bethany (David) Hietpas (La Crosse, WI); and four grandchildren: Brenna (Samuel) Prestidge (St Leonard, MD), Beau Padesky (Madison, WI), Bailey (Rhea) Lyons (Madison, WI), and Braeden Padesky (Madison, WI). He was preceded in death by his son, Barton Tinapp (Jody Brieske). "Doc" will be fondly remembered by family, students, and friends for the passion he poured into his endeavors, his great love of people and conversation, and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
A private family service will take place at a later date. Per his request no public service will be held.
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