John DeWitt Titman ’51

John came to us from Binghamton, N.Y., after graduating from the Lawrenceville School and a stint in the Army. At Princeton he roomed with Porky Clark, John Groome, Will Prior, Dave Van Vleck, and Chuck Weeden. He took an active role in various campus organizations and joined Tiger Inn. 

Following three years with NBC, he took a job with Time-Life Inc., where he served as personnel manager and manager of HBO’s worldwide facilities before retirement in 1998 after 44 years. 

He lived in a legendary bachelors’ apartment in Brooklyn Heights with George Chandler, By Hollinshead, Lou Kelly, Vic Rizzi, Clayt Sheedy, and various itinerant classmates. In 1956 he married Narcissa Hargroves, whose father was a member of the Class of 1922. They took over the apartment and they continued to live in the same Brooklyn Heights neighborhood until moving to a retirement home in Rye in 2019.  

An avid squash player, John was president of the iconic Heights Casino for four years. He was also an enthusiastic hiker and camper, and had leadership roles over the years in a number of community organizations.

John died Jan. 2, 2021. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and four grandchildren.