Paul M. Titus *33

Paul M. Titus, dedicated educator, died Apr. 19, 1998, at his home in Gambier, Ohio, after a protracted illness. He was 93. He graduated from Oberlin College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. At Princeton he earned his master's (*30) and doctorate (*33) in economics and social institutions.

With his new bride, Catherine, Paul arrived in Gambier in 1933 to teach economics at Kenyon College. At that time the Kenyon faculty numbered only 25 persons. Salaries were cut by 40%. Decades later he recalled, before an alumni gathering, the rigors of those early days: "Kenyon's problem was directly related to the Great Depression, which, by 1933, had caused 25% of the work force to be unemployed." By 1937 economic conditions had improved, and Kenyon trustees appointed a new president. The institution survived and grew both in stature and in numbers of faculty, staff, and students.

Upon Paul's retirement in 1972, after 39 years of teaching, he was awarded by Kenyon College an honorary doctorate of humane letters and numerous tributes to his dedicated life of pedagogy. Following retirement he became active in a variety of community service organizations in Gambier, including his own enterprise to provide low-cost housing for deserving neighbors.

Catherine predeceased him in 1994. His survivors include two daughters, one son, 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

The Graduate Alumni