On Jan. 22, Jay Marvin Kappraff of Baltimore at 86. He is survived by children Sara (Jason) Neches and Jonah Kappraff (Beth Willer); brother Ron (Steffi) Kaprov; grandchildren Olivia Neches and Lucas Neches; and nephew Joshua Kaprov. He was predeceased by parents Pearl and Morris Kappraff. He was a polymath, a gifted educator, prolific author, humanist, scholar, musician, husband, father, grandfather and peace activist. He received his B.Ch.E in chemical engineering in 1958 from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and M.S. in chemical engineering from Iowa State in 1960, followed by work at the Dupont Company in Wilmington, Delaware. He discovered his passion for education in the New York inner-city public school system in 1962, igniting a lifelong quest for innovative and accessible ways to teach mathematics. He was recruited to work at NASA as an aerospace engineer before returning to New York to complete his Ph.D. in mathematics at New York University Courant Institute while serving as a professor at Cooper Union. He authored more than 50 articles and four books. His proudest achievements involved shedding light on the dangers of nuclear proliferation and raising awareness of the promises and perils of technology through a long-running forum series at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he was a tenured professor for 43 years. His devotion to music over his lifetime and a desire to share the joy of music with others led him to found the Music Initiative at NJIT.
Contributions may be sent to New Jersey Peace Action, 40 S Fullerton Ave., Rm 29, Montclair, NJ 07042.
