Joseph Timan*
Class of 1968
- President Horizon Land Corporation
I came to this country at the age of 11 and was able at an early age to realize great success. Only in America could that happen.
Born in Poland, Joseph Timan immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1920. To help feed the family of eight, he worked three jobs. He worked his way through St. John's College, earning a bachelor of laws degree in 1936. He worked as a law clerk for $5 a week, and then he managed tenement buildings while practicing real estate law.
Timan started his own real estate law practice in 1945. He retired in 1957 at age 47 and moved to Arizona. Seeing the potential for land development in the Southwest, he formed Horizon Land Corp. Within seven years, his company became one of the largest developers of new communities in the Southwest, creating a concept for new cities that was followed throughout the world. Under Timan's leadership, Horizon developed four new communities in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. He was chairman of the Committee for National Land Development Policy.