Eulogy - Hite Miller

I met Hite sometime around 1978 after I graduated college and started working at my first real job. I started hanging out with a crowd at Howie’s place on Holly St, where the so-called Holly Street crowd would party and have fun. The first thing that struck me about Hite was that he was a cool guy, but he was kind to everybody. It didn’t matter who you were, Hite treated everyone the same, with respect and kindness. Prior to Hite, I was used to cool people only associating with other cool people and shunning others, so he broke the mold.  And if we ever made fun of someone or applied peer pressure to try to make them do something they didn’t want to, Hite would defend that person and tell them in front of everybody, ‘Stand your ground, my man, don’t do anything you don’t want to’.  Hite would literally give you the shirt off his back, which he did one day when I told him I wanted to get a Piggly Wiggly t-shirt like his and he took it off and said, ‘This is for you.’ 

I had some great times with him.  The skiing trip to Austria, sailing Hobie Cats at Isle of Palms and Panama City, the countless parties at Holly St.  But really the main thing about Hite is that I looked up to him and wanted to be more like him. I held him in high esteem and admired the way he acted and carried himself and treated others. He showered everyone with love and kindness.  While I could never be as cool and suave as Hite (he was quite the ladies' man before he married), I know I am a much better person for having known him.

My condolences to Anette and his family and Hite, we miss you, but I know we will see you again one day, cruising in your RX-7, with Bette Davis Eyes blasting on the tape deck and that 18-foot Hobie in tow.  And once again there will be fun, sailing and flying hulls, on that great beach up in the sky where we are all headed to one day.