The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-12-22
Charles Titus Completes
80 Years With Mich.-BeII

Thirty years with one employ
er would seem like a pretty
good cord, and that's the
length of time Charles V. Titus
has been with the Michigan Bell
Telephone Company. For nearly
% years he has been located in
Mount Clemens and has been
plant chief in this area more
than "a.
Born in Philadelphia, Titus
got his first Bell telephone ex-
perience in that city with the
Bell Telephone c mpany of
Pennsylvania. He had worked
for a short time, however, for
a small company at Altoona, Pa.
He came to the then Michigan
State Telephone Company, at
Detroit, in 1919 after further
telephone work in the east, fol-
lowed by service in the first
World War.
BEGAN IN 1919
He worked in the Detroit Mel
rose telephone central office as
a sWitchboardman, from August
/, 1919, until May ! of the fol-
lowing year, when he came to
Mount Clemens as wire chief.
He was appointed plant chief in
September. 1920. Mount Glenn
ems, with 5000 company-owned
telephones and $50 operated by
the company on a service basis,
is one of the most important me-
dunn sized exchanges in east
ern Michigan, particularly be-
cause of the location nearby of
Selfridge Field, which is served
by the exchange.
Titus heads an organization of
skilled craftsmen that installs
and maintains telephones and
lines, keeps the system in re-
pair, services the private switch
boards of business concerns and
at Selfridge Field, cares for the
telephone buildings and motor
equipment and does multitude
Of other things necessary to the
proper operation of the tele-
phone system. Included in his
territory besides Mount Clemens
and Selfridge, are the exchanges
at Armada, New Baltimore, New
Haven, Romeo. Utica and Wash
ington, together with vast net
work of rural and farm lines.
IN HIS BLOOD
1t seemed only natural that
Titus should step into telephone
work. At Altoona, for instance,
he worked for an uncle who was
plant manager of the American
Union T phi one Company
there. His mother at one time
was a telephone operator, and
his father was a telephone plant
maintenance employee.
Titus is looked upon as one
of the leading citizens of Mount
Clemens, and probably has as
wide an acquaintance as any
resident of this part of the state.
He long has been active in civic,
fraternal and social affairs. He is
past grand knight of the local
council, Knights of Columbus,
is a member of the Telephone
Pioneers Of America, an organi-
zation of men and women who
have had Fl years or more of
telephone work; past vice-com-
mander of the American Legion
at Mount Clemens, is chairman
Of the Mount Clemens U. S. o.
Council, the local Salvage for
Victory Committee, and the Ma
comb County United War Fund,
and a director of the Michigan
United War Fund. He has been
a blood donor five times during
the present war.
SERVED IN WAR
During World War I, he en-
listed in the Signal Corps and
transferred to Aviation, gradu-
ating from the United States
Army School of Military Aero
nautics at Princeton University
in December, 1917. He won
commission as End lieutenant
and his wings at Forth Worth,
Texas, in spring of 1918, follow
ing which he instructed in aer-
ial gunnery and aerial combat
until the close of that war. He
served five years in the reserve
thereafter.
Titus resides at 233 N. Ora
tiot avenue, Mount Clemens. He
has one son, Charles Joseph Tt
tus, who recently was awarded
l.. -. a..