Edward Paul ‘Ed’ Crapol
WILLIAMSBURG — Edward P. “Ed” Crapol, 84, died peacefully at his home the morning of Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, of congestive heart failure. A historian, teacher, family man and friend, Ed was born Sept. 29, 1936, in Buffalo, New York, to Paul Crapol and Emmi Klinger Crapol. His parents emigrated from Germany in the early 1930s seeking the opportunities America offered themselves and their children.
Ed excelled at school and became the first in his family to attend college, working at whatever jobs were available to pay his way, whether digging ditches or ironing shirts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York in Buffalo in 1960, as well as a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in 1964 and 1968 respectively. At Wisconsin, Ed studied with the renowned historian William Appleman Williams, which led him to spend his academic career focused on teaching, learning and writing about American diplomatic history.