It is with great sadness that I'm posting about the loss of a good friend, both personally and professionally. Doug Gallant passed away on Saturday at his home in Columbus, Ohio.

Doug had been a title examiner since the 1970s, and he was extremely knowledgeable. Doug and I had many in-depth conversations about title problems we encountered and how they should be fixed. Doug had a deep respect for the integrity of our public records, and we often pondered the direction our industry was heading. It's rare to find someone who can hold their own in a deep, philosophical conversation about real estate titles, and even more rare to find someone who can make it enjoyable. I learned a lot from Doug over the years.

Many of you may remember Doug from the early days of NALTEA, when he was very involved in creating the organization. I fondly remember the long conference calls with a handful of title industry advocates as we tried to put together the structure of the association and lay out its mission. It was not unlike the Constitutional Convention of 1787, I imagine (I wasn't there).

Source of Title hosted weekly conference calls with the original group who put NALTEA together, and Doug was always there to contribute his perspective and good old-fashioned common sense. And anytime we needed more information, he knew just who to ask. His network of friends in the title business was vast, and that was a testament to the kind of guy he was. His work was always respected, and his friendship was always valued.

Over the years, Doug and I kept in touch, but not nearly as frequently as I would have liked. I'm going to miss him. I'm not sure there will ever be anyone else quite like him. 

Here is the link to his obituary.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Best,
Robert A. Franco
SOURCE OF TITLE