ANOTHER VIEWPOINT

"He was very artistic from the first time I knew him. When he went to college he decided to do art. I'm not surprised by his success at all. It's been a slow, gradual transition. When he started looking for colleges, CIA (Cleveland Institute of Art) came up pretty quickly just because it was a five-year art institute. It had a lot of prestige, and it was nearby. As soon as he got there, he went right into Industrial Design -- design as opposed to painting. He wants people to think outside the box and think about things differently."
Clay Schluchter
Ben Hitmar's lifelong friend
"From the time Ben was little, Tom (Ben's father) would say, 'Look at what this kid drew.' I would say, 'Oh very nice.' Because Tom could draw anything. I didn't think it was very unusual that both of the kids (Ben and his sister Jenny) were very good also. ... Even though, yes, I am, of course, very proud of his talents, I am as proud or more proud of the person that he is."
Linda Hitmar
Ben's mother