Norman Brittin was born on September 9, 1906, in Syracuse, New York. He received an A.B. and M.A. in English from Syracuse University in 1927 and 1930 and later earned a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1947. Norman’s first wife, Florence Mellor Brittin, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 6, 1904. Ruth Lowe Brittin was born on December 25, 1918, at Auburn, AL. She received a B.S. and M.S. in English from Alabama Polytechnic Institute, later named Auburn University, in 1940 and 1947. She served with the Red Cross during World War II and was stationed in Palestine and Africa. Norman Brittin moved to Auburn in 1948 and served as Professor of English until 1977. Norman’s first wife, Florence Mellor, died in 1952 and he later married Ruth who was an assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School at that time.

Ruth Lowe Brittin was born on December 25, 1918, at Auburn, AL. She received a B.S. and M.S. in English from Alabama Polytechnic Institute, later named Auburn University, in 1940 and 1947. She served with the Red Cross during World War II and was stationed in Palestine and Africa. She returned to Auburn working as an instructor in English and for eleven years assistant of the Dean of the Graduate School retiring in 1986. She married English Professor Norman Brittin in 1952 and died in 2002.