[1] Rapson was born in Alma, Michigan with a deformed right arm that was amputated at birth; he learned to draw expertly with his left hand.

[1] He earned architecture degrees at the University of Michigan, and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he studied under Eliel Saarinen.

[4] While at Cranbrook, Rapson was part of a team with Eero Saarinen and Fred James which won the competition for a National Festival Theater on the campus of the College of William and Mary.

The design process isn’t just about bricks and stones; for me it’s also about the people in a building and how I expect them to live.”[2] Rapson was a prolific sketch artist and kept volumes of sketchbooks from his various world travels.

"[14] His was survived by his wife Mary and two sons, Richard "Rip" and Thomas "Toby", and a daughter, Ren, from a previous marriage.