Professor Emeritus Chandler P. Titus originated the “Teaching Repair Station” at Embry-Riddle.
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Linda Titus: Embry-Riddle’s First-Ever Recipient of the Alumni Philanthropy Award
Linda Titus (’79, DB) is the first ever-winner of the Embry-Riddle Alumni Philanthropy Award. The award, distributed annually, honors an alumnus who has demonstrated a high level of commitment to the university through philanthropic contributions and involvement in the direction of their gift.
“Linda is a natural choice for this award,” says Vice President of Institutional Advancement Dan Montplaisir. “Starting with her father, she has been involved with Embry-Riddle practically since birth, and she has carried on his tradition of giving and service these many years.”
Linda, who grew up watching her father, Professor Emeritus Chandler P. Titus, tutor students in late-night study sessions in their family’s kitchen, truly has had a lifelong connection to Embry-Riddle. In fact, much of her life has been shaped by Embry-Riddle history. Born in Miami, Fla., she moved to Daytona Beach when the campus was moved in 1965. A ‘79 graduate, Linda used her Embry-Riddle education to launch a successful career with FedEx as a flight dispatcher.
In 1996, Linda and her father strengthened their unshakeable bond with Embry-Riddle by establishing the Chandler Titus Scholarship, which was geared towards tuition assistance for students in the Aviation Maintenance program. In 2001, Linda wanted to open the scholarship up to more students, so she and her father changed the name to the Titus Family Scholarship and made it available to students in bachelors’ programs as well.
Linda also decided at that time to increase her yearly gift from $1,000 to $2,500. “Even though it’s not much,” she says, “somebody out there needs a little bit of a break on their tuition and maybe they’ll get as lucky as me.”
Linda feels it’s important to give back to the university that gave her “a good life and a great career.” Thanks to the tuition assistance she received as the daughter of a professor, she was able to attend Embry-Riddle and work in an industry she grew up loving. “It all started because I got that break on tuition,” she says.
Linda believes that it’s vital for other alumni to give back to their alma mater however they can. “If they’re in the aviation industry because of their education at Embry-Riddle, they should understand that the future of the industry relies on these kids. It doesn’t take a lot to give back to one student for one semester who just needs a little bit of a break on tuition.”
Sadly, winning this award now is bittersweet for Linda. Her father, Chandler, who helped her establish the Titus Family Scholarship, passed away in February of 2010. Though it will be great to return to Daytona Beach and to campus, Linda admits some difficulty coming back. “If he had been around, he probably would have been very happy for me. It would have been really nice to tell him that that little idea we had a decade and a half ago has blossomed into something pretty substantial.”
