Mr. Bitting received his high school diploma in 1960 from Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Maryland, where he acquired his terse journalistic style as managing editor of the Wheaton Scroll. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 from the University of Maryland, his Master of Science degree in 1966 from Northwestern University, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in in 1967 from Northwestern.
Mr. Bitting taught mathematics at the University of Notre Dame from 1967 to 1973. He then joined Burroughs Corporation, where he worked until forming a computer consulting company in 1993. He has published six mathematical papers and ten books. The Sword of Deneb is his only fiction work.