In memoriam: Jack L. Titus, M.D., Ph.D., 1926–2011

Abstract

Jack L. Titus, M.D., Ph.D., passed away in North Oaks, MN, after a long illness on June 15, 2011, at the age of 84 (Fig. 1). I will miss Jack as a friend and as a highly respected colleague and collaborator, who had a long and distinguished career. He was for me the ideal mentor at an extremely pivotal stage of my career, and we continued to be close, sharing many professional and other interests as my career continued to develop. He trained and collaborated with numerous other cardiovascular pathologists, many of whom themselves have made important contributions to the field. I and the many others he touched have lost an important leader in academic medicine and pathology, nationally and internationally, and a giant in the world of cardiovascular pathology. Born in South Bend, IN, Dec. 7, 1926, Dr. Titus entered the University of Notre Dame at the age of 16, then was called to serve as a sergeant in Germany during WWII. In 1948, he graduated cum laude from Notre Dame, receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1948. He matriculated at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis receiving his M.D. degree in 1952. Following internship at the Wayne County Hospital in Detroit, MI, and subsequently general medical practice in Rensselaer, IN, from 1953 to 1957, he decided to pursue a career in anatomic and clinical pathology. He was accepted as a resident in the Mayo Foundation and Graduate School at the University of Minnesota, serving from 1957 to 1961, and he became board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Dr. Titus earned a Ph.D., degree in pathology from the University of Minnesota, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in 1962 (under the mentorship of Jesse E.