Harry Brougham Titus Jr.

Harry was born in Trenton, NJ, in 1943 to the late Harry Brougham Titus and Margaret Sinclair Titus. After serving in the Air Force, he received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, before going on to earn his MFA and Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture at Princeton University.

While writing his dissertation he taught briefly at Princeton and at Boston University before arriving at Wake Forest University where he taught for 32 years until his retirement in 2013. At Wake Forest, Harry served the university in a number of capacities, including as Chairman of the Art Department and as President of the Faculty Senate. His greatest and most lasting contributions, however, came through his mentoring of undergraduate students.

A gifted communicator and teacher, Harry brought his love of art history to the classroom where he brought his subject to life for generations of students. As a teacher Harry was genial, generous, patient, and accessible, but uncompromising in the standards that he encouraged his students to meet. His gift lay in recognizing each student’s potential and helping him or her to reach it.

Harry’s research on gothic cathedrals was based in France and he frequently took students with him on summer trips, engaging them in the subject matter and research methods and giving them a firsthand introduction to the country and culture that he loved. In the fall semester of 1986, Harry was the director of Casa Artom, Wake Forest’s study center in Venice. He embraced the opportunity to immerse himself in another language and culture and he enjoyed sharing the experience with his students.

Following his retirement from Wake Forest, Harry taught art history as a volunteer at the newly founded charter high school in Raleigh, Longleaf School of the Arts. He loved the energy and enthusiasm of the students and frequently commented on the caliber of their thinking. Following his tenure at Longleaf, Harry taught a number of classes for the OLLI program at NC State, engaging with an older audience. Teaching for OLLI brought Harry great pleasure, and until the week of his death he continued to express regret that poor health prevented him from finishing the class that he was teaching on Greek art in 2021.

Harry spent his life teaching and learning. He viewed the world with curiosity and acquired a vast store of knowledge in a multitude of subjects. He shared his knowledge with humor and affection with all who entered his orbit.

Harry is survived by Maggie Gregory, his wife of 34 years; his brother, Richard Titus; sister-in-law, Nancy Titus; and his sister, Susan Titus Foster. He was the beloved uncle of Christy Vitense, Melanie Seastone, Kate Foster, and James Foster.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to the LVAD team at UNC Hospital for their exceptional care of Harry over the last two and a half years. Memorial gifts in Harry’s honor may be directed to Transitions Life Care of Wake County.

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