John Reps graduated from Springfield Senior High in 1939. From there he went on to Dartmouth College where he earned an A.B. degree, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society and graduated summa cum laude.
He began his World War II military service as a sergeant with the U.S. Army Air Force.
After the war, he studied planning at Cornell University and earned his master's degree in 1947. He went on to pursue research in British planning at the University of Liverpool then worked as director of planning for Broome County, New York for three years. He returned to England as a Fulbright Scholar.
Since then he's earned the title of "historian of urban planning," shared his knowledge by authoring 15 books and lectured at more than 100 American universities, libraries and professional and historical societies and dozens of institutions in Europe, China and Australia.
Today, at age 94, Reps still heads to his office at Cornell University each day and works on selection projects. He even still occasionally guest lectures.
Reps has enjoyed his career in teaching. "I'm rather happy with the way my career has worked out," he said, "although I will tell you I had not planned to be a teacher at all. It was one of life's little surprises."
He admires teachers, especially those who teach in the elementary through high school levels. "At a university it's different. You spend six to eight hours a week in a classroom," he said. "My teachers at Springfield were spending six to eight hours a day in a classroom, five days a week. How they could maintain a certain amount of enthusiasm and energy--that's a puzzle," he said. "That's what makes a good teacher--someone who can excite the imagination of their students."
The SPS Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Thursday morning (10/23) at 11:30 at the Bass Pro White River Conference Center.
