Obituary

Robert W. Titus 1926-2022

Bob, a third generation Nevadan, was born 19 October 1926 to Louis and Eva Minetto Titus. He attended McKinley Park Elementary, Northside Junior High and the old Reno High School. After one year at the University of Nevada, he went to the United States Naval Academy and graduated with the class of 1949 earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Engineering. After graduation he served aboard various Navy ships, including a light cruiser a destroyer and an aircraft carrier, before attending the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA where he graduated with a BS degree in Aerological Engineering. This led to fleet weather station assignments at NAS Kodiak, AK and NAS Sandpoint, WA. At that point in his life he resigned his regular officer's commission, accepted one in the reserve component of the Navy and returned to work in Reno with First National Bank of Nevada. During his civilian career he continued his association with the Naval Reserve retiring as a Captain with 37 years of commissioned service. During that period he served as commanding officer of two units while serving in a variety of billets. Bob received a job offer from the U.S. Antarctic Research Programs (USARP) of the National Science Foundation under the auspices of the U.S. Weather Bureau. He spent thirteen months at Hallett Station in the Antarctic, as Station Scientific Leader and Meteorologist in Charge. Hallett Station is a joint US-New Zealand research station located in Victoria Land. Bob was part of Operation Deep Freeze 60-61. Because of his Antarctic service Bob was informed by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names that a mountain in northern Victoria Land had been named Mount Titus in his honor. After his return to the United States, he accepted a job with the Air Resourced Field Research Office (ARFRO) that provided meteorological and radiological support to the nation's nuclear weapons testing program of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). While at NTS he received an AEC scholarship and completed the master's program in Atmospheric Science at the University of Washington graduate school. Over the ensuing years the AEC changed its name to ERDA and later to the Department of Energy. ARFRO also had name changes and eded up as the Weather Service Nuclear Support Office. Bob's final position was as Meteorologist in Charge of that office. At his retirement it was reported that he had been associated with 776 nuclear tests. After his retirement, he continued to be associated with the NTS as a consultant on testing protocols, assisting with training programs and was co-author of several publications codifying them. As Bob was growing up in Reno, his passions were fishing and hunting. These interests lasted throughout his life. On the fishing side it was ultra-light spin fishing and fly fishing. On the hunting side it was upland game birds. During his life he was affiliated with several organizations. At the University of Nevada he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. His father was a member of Kappa Lambda, the founding group for the Epsilon Iota Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha. Bob was a professional member of the American Meteorological Society: and from his naval service he was a life member and past National President of the Naval Weather Service Association. With his military background he was a life member of the U.S. Naval Academy alumni association, the Military Officers Association of America and the Korean War Veterans Association. He was also a life member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and a member of Reno Lodge #597 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In concert with his outdoor interests he was a lifelong member of a variety of fly fishing and hunting organizations; Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers and Ducks Unlimited. He was married to his wife Sylvy Geraghty Titus for fifty years. From his first marriage to Dorothy Anne Martin he had three boys: Bruce, Gregory and Jeffrey as well as a daughter Patricia. Bruce and Gregory reside in Reno and Patricia lives in Las Vegas. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Sylvy, his sister Margery Scott and his son Jeffrey. He is survived by his remaining children, his sister Evalyn Dearmin of Carson City and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held on Monday the 16th of May at Mountain View Mortuary Chapel in Reno. In lieu of flowers, donations may be mad to Trout Unlimited or the Federation of Fly fishers.