Academy Remembers Zephyr Rapinchuk '10
Memories of Zephyr from The Academy appear below. To read the obituary that appeared in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, click here. To read and share memories of Zephyr on Facebook, click here (requires login). To watch Zephyr's "Multiverse" video on YouTube, click here. To contribute to a scrapbook about Zephyr, please e-mail Jesse Porter-Henry at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The Academy community was heartbroken to learn of the Jan. 11 death of Zephyr Rapinchuk ’10 in a skiing accident in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
“His death is a terrible loss for his family, for the Academy community, for his Lewis and Clark classmates, and for the world,” Headmaster Todd Sumner said in a letter to current Academy families. “Zephyr’s unique gifts of lively intelligence, musicality, athleticism, and artistry were combined with an unrivaled sense of fun, good humor, and boundless energy. Our hearts go out to Tanya, Kamal, Indra, and the entire Rapinchuk/Souccar family.”
Attendance at school the next day was optional, with some students choosing to attend and others staying home with friends and family. Students at school met first in the recital hall and then in classrooms to share feelings and memories, and some students joined a morning ski outing to Berkshire East in Zephyr’s honor.
Friends remembered Zephyr as a catalyst, an instigator, and a joyful spark of energy.
“You just never knew what he would say or do next,” Rob Sperry-Fromm ’11 said. “We would go swimming in his pool at midnight, go inside and record a song, and then cook a large meal. We actually did that once, and we never would have done that without Zephyr.”
The range of that evening reflected some of Zephyr’s many talents. He was an artist, a musician, an athlete, a reader, and a careful thinker who was passionate about ideas and loved to test them in discussion and debate.
“People didn't always see this side of Zephyr,” Rob said. “We would stay up late at night and get going on these incredible, serious conversations about serious topics—religion, gay marriage, the economy…. We would go for hours and his depth of thought, his commitment to understanding things for himself, and his willingness to discuss with his bluntness that never crossed the line into callousness, never ceased to amaze me and will always stay with me. He wanted to truly live life to its fullest, which makes this all the more tragic.”
At school, Zephyr could be counted on not only to bring life and joy to every day, but to do so with inimitable style. “Everyone loved Zephyr’s antics: his fairly saucy rendition of Jinglebell Rock at his eighth grade winter concert, his penchant for freestyle rapping, his endearing—and noisy—struggle through his calculus exam, and his legendary wisecracks in Mr. Perry’s American history class, to name just a few,” Clare Donohue-Meyer ’11 said. “But what I loved best about Zephyr was that he truly didn’t care what anybody thought of him and still managed to be an incredibly good, caring person.”
For younger students, Zephyr was a role model. “Skiing will never be the same without him,” Jasper Kearsley ’13 said. “He skied with the flow of a god of some sort. Skiing with him and Simon Lynes when I was younger really set my mind to skiing, and I appreciate how he transformed my person from a confused, ‘what is life’ 8-year-old, to an ‘I want to ski forever’ 8-year-old. Skiing with him and Mr. Porter-Henry was always a treat—just like the Skittles provided by him or Mr. P-H. Rides home with him, when I didn’t have money for the bus, are truly some of my best memories.”
Zephyr’s teachers remember him as having an exuberant enthusiasm for life, bringing energy and passion to his work and play at school.
“I have never known anyone who lived in the moment like he did,” math teacher and ski coach Jesse Porter-Henry said. “He could be bouncing off the walls one minute and then saying the most insightful and intelligent thing the next. I hope that we can all live in the moment and take advantage of the adventures that everyday life can bring, if we’re looking for them. Zephyr had a knack for this that I hope I can honor."
His teachers also remember learning from him. According to art teacher Kerlin Conyngham, “We were looking at pictures one day and he said something to the effect of ‘Anyone can take a beautiful photograph if they are fortunate enough to travel to a beautiful place. It takes a great photographer to make the mundane beautiful.’ ”
The legacy of insight and inspiration that Zephyr left was apparent at a celebration of his life at Berkshire East Ski Area Jan. 23. With more than 500 people packing the lodge, Zephyr’s mother, Tanya, asked that a moment of silence be followed by applause. Several minutes of quiet reflection were followed by a roar of cheers and whoops and a resounding standing ovation.
Remembrances of Zephyr at The Academy included a Jan. 24 ceremony in which students and teachers shared memories, students lit candles, and some of Zephyr’s friends played a musical tribute, “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” by Neutral Milk Hotel.
“He was always there for me when I needed him,” Rob Sperry-Fromm said, “and he genuinely cared about his friends and the world around him. I could not have asked for a more loyal, fun, intelligent friend.”
