Titov
Friends in Vancouver recall Russian hero's spirit

By Margaret Ellis
Columbian staff writer, September 2002

Gherman Titov, right, the second Russian to orbit the Earth, touched the lives of
Vancouver residents last spring. He’s seen here with Jess Frost. Titov died Wednesday.

Gherman Titov, who circled globe at age 25,
made an impression on his Vancouver hosts

A Russian hero, Gherman Titov cemented soviet success in space flight when he became the second Russian to see space. The 65-year-old explorer died Wednesday from carbon monoxide poisoning in the sauna of his Moscow apartment.

He was the first to stay in space for 25 hours, and at age 25 was the youngest person ever to orbit Earth. But Titov was a pioneer in another respect.

He visited Vancouver this spring as part of an effort to foster understanding between the United States and Russia, and to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of Valery P. Chkalov’s flight from Moscow to Vancouver.

"He told the city council that we all needed to learn from the international space station," said Jess Frost, president of the Valery P. Chkalov Cultural Exchange Committee, the group that organized the visit.

Marcia Ross invited Titov and two other Russian dignitaries to stay in her Vancouver home. She said his heroic spirit came through across language and cultural barriers. "There are people who carry themselves with such great dignity, and he was one of them," she said.

return to top

Though Titov was a member of the Russian Communist Party and was elected to the Russian parliament or Duma, he didn’t talk much about the turbulent politics of the country, Ross said. But he revealed his opinion one night at the dinner table. She asked him if circling the globe changed his perspective on things. "What he observed was that the Earth was a very small place, not large enough for us to fight. We should be in peace," Ross said. Titov seemed to be an explorer by nature, Ross said. "Still, at his age he was an eager learner, he wanted to know more about other places."

It was easy to see why Titov, who held the Soviet Union’s highest awards, became a hero to his people. "He was clearly a man that justified great respect," said Ross.

But another side of his nature came out during the weeklong stay. Every morning he walked Ross’ Labrador puppy around her neighborhood. "My picture of him is standing in his business suit in his bare feet, throwing the Frisbee for my puppy and being absolutely elated."

Frost was planning to visit Titov next summer in Moscow. "He made it very plain, he absolutely insisted he wanted us to visit him in Moscow," Frost said. "It was really a shock. We really got to love the guy."

But Ross said Titov’s death is more than a loss to those who knew him personally. "I would want people here to know the Russian people have lost a great man in their culture," she said. "It’s just a huge loss to the Russian people."

return to top