Rapson earned his B.A. magna cum laude at
Amherst College in June 1958, and served briefly there as an instructor in
American Studies. He then taught history at
Stanford University from 1961 to 1965 while pursuing his
Ph.D. at
Columbia University, granted in 1966. His dissertation was on
The British Traveler in America, 1860–1935; his
doctoral advisor was
Richard Hofstadter. In 1966, after teaching history at
University of California at Santa Barbara, he moved to Hawaii, and has been on the faculty of the
University of Hawaii system ever since. He has returned to Stanford as a Visiting Professor of History (1973–74), and been a Visiting Professor of History four separate semesters on
Semester at Sea, a University shipboard program that sails around the world. Rapson worked as a psychotherapist for 15 years, beginning in 1982. He was also named National Finalist for the Danforth Foundation's Distinguished Teaching Award, which honored the nation's best teachers. He founded and headed the University of Hawaii's experimental liberal arts college, New College, from 1968 to 1973. Rapson has written many books and short stories. Some of these were written with his wife, Dr.
Elaine Hatfield. He has one child, Dr. Kim Elizabeth Rapson. == Notable publications ==