Dale Milton Titler Papers

Dale Milton Titler was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1926. He spent his childhood in Pennsylvania. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, He spent the remainder of his life in the South. While in service, he graduated from Altoona Aviation Corporation School of Flight in 1945. He then became a flight instructor from 1947-50. Titler continued his education by attending Pittsburg Institute of Aeronautics in 1948, Pennsylvania State College in 1948-49, and the University of Southern Mississippi in 1974-95.

After finishing his education, He went on to serve as an academic instructor of aviation engineering for Graham Aviation in Marianna, Florida, from 1951-1960. Afterward, he became an instructor at USAF Pilot Training contract school in Aircraft Crash Rescue and Firefighting at Greenville Air Force Base in Greenville, MS. He then moved on to Keesler Air Force, where he instructed firefighting and personnel training. In 1978 he was promoted to Keesler Center Historian and held that position until his retirement in 1989. He was honored by the city of Biloxi as Historian of the Year in 1991. He is also listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Contemporary Authors, International Authors and Writer's Who's Who.

Throughout his life, Titler was an avid researcher and writer. Most of his work is historical non-fiction. His most notable works include Keesler Field: Inception to Pearl Harbor and The War Years 1941-1945, Gulf Tempest: Major Hurricanes and Their Effects on Kessler Technical Training Center, The Day the Red Baron Died, and Wings of Mystery: True Stories of Aviation History. Dale Milton Titler died in 2014.

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Collection materials

Dale M. Titler obituary from The Sun Herald on Aug. 22, 2014.