Donald Tritt, who welcomed students into his family home and helped some cope with life-altering setbacks, died June 12, 2024, at age 93.
Tritt served Denison in a dual capacity, as an educator and a practitioner of psychology. He joined the university in 1959 as a clinician and part-time faculty member. He taught classes while serving as the director of counseling and psychological services for 18 years before becoming a full-time faculty member in 1982.
By the time Tritt retired in 1995, he had built a reputation for taking an interest in the lives of his students, even those who left Denison before graduating. He invited entire classes to his house, where he taught courses on his back deck and served dinner prepared by his wife, Marilyn.
“He loved the interaction with his students, and it kept him invigorated,” his daughter, Barbara Kitchen, said. “They would get into deep discussions, and it involved mutual sharing and exploration. It was a different time and a special time.” His work as a practitioner played a vital role in the lives of students. In 1961, Tritt helped first-year student James Cayton deal with a horrific car crash that saw him launched headfirst through the windshield.
After recovering from facial injuries, Cayton returned to the classroom, only to see his grades plummet. While friends and family members thought Cayton was not working hard enough on his studies, it was Tritt who understood the student was dealing with brain trauma. The professor remained in contact with Cayton after he left Denison and encouraged him to resume his academic pursuits.
Cayton became a clinical psychologist and opened a unit at a psychiatric hospital that specialized in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I thank God for having Don Tritt in my life,” James Cayton said. “He was the one person who understood what I was going through.”
Tritt was a second-generation Swiss who frequently visited friends and family in Europe. He combined his heritage and love of teaching by directing a five-week summer cross-cultural program in which Denison students lived with Swiss families and backpacked across the country.
“It was his way of promoting understanding and communication across cultures,” Kitchen said. “He was very passionate about learning and encouraged us to explore our passions.”
Tritt is survived by his daughter and two sons, Stephen ’84 and Jeffrey ’88, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.