Hitt's 99 years work up a surprise
She is an Aiken institution, and she turns 99 years old today.
But Ola Hitt's close friends helped her celebrate Friday with a surprise birthday party at Eejay's.
Hitt's face lit up as she walked into the room and a chorus of "Happy Birthday" and applause greeted her.
"I just hope I am as young as you are when I'm 99," a woman called out.
Hitt's face and sparkling eyes belie her age, as does her spry walk and easy laugh. She still lives independently, continues to drive and keeps busy collecting donations for several organizations.
It appears most her life was spent giving back to the community in one way or another.
Hitt was born in 1910 in Montmorenci at Pascalina but later moved to Aiken after her father passed away.
From 1960 to 1995, her large residence on Chesterfield Street served as a boarding home for veterans. It all started when a social worker at the VA Hospital in Augusta asked her about it. Before Hitt knew, 20 veterans were staying with her. She estimates she housed roughly 1,000 veterans over the years.
One such gentlemen Friday credited Hitt with encouraging him to stay in Aiken long enough that he met his wife.
"I've had an interesting life," Hitt admitted. "It was a surprise (living to be 99 years old)."
Good friend Esther Cope read aloud a proclamation during the lunch, naming Hitt a true Southern belle and adding that she "brightens the presence of those she comes in contact with through stories and anecdotes of many experiences in life, including her claim to fame that while working at B.M. Surasky's, she sold the now famous hat worn by comedian Minnie Pearl."
The proclamation also highlights the many honors and titles bestowed on Hitt over the years, including the Order of the Palmetto, the highest honor given to a resident of South Carolina outside the military. The small connector road between Arby's and Krystal was also named after her.
"It's hard to live up to all that," Hitt joked. "Thank you all for remembering me in such a lovely way. To tell you the truth, I almost fainted when I walked in here."
She had a kind word for everyone at her party Friday and gripped each hand with a warm, loving touch.
A party-goer anticipated Hitt would ask why her friends would do such a thing for her, and the friend said she would reply, "Because you're special and important."