Ben Hunter’s Body Discovered

I am in utter disbelief!!! Hunt...you were and will forever be my DAWG!!! I thank God for you and all that you have done for this community especially my generation of kids in New Haven. If more people had a heart as big as yours the world would be a better place. MAY YOUR LEGACY BE REMEMEBERED FOR ALL THE GOOD YOU'VE DONE!!! Hunt - I love you and miss you!!

Hunt was the BEST! He has made such a strong impact on so many of our lives. There are very few people in the New Haven Public School System that did not know who Hunt was. It saddens me so much that he died alone.

We love you big brother. Peace

R.I.P. Mr. Hunter he truly was a good caring man, I'll always remember his big smile/hugs he use 2 give when i was n his presence at schoolI am a little disappointed that the media even mentioned the negative portion of you life story but its all good those who knew you well will overlook that and remember the good man that you were. My prayers goes out to your family. Rest well your in Gods hands now!

Hunt will definitely be missed. A great man. I'll never forget the love he showed while I roamed the halls of Hillhouse and Goffe St. park, always looking out for us.

REST N PEACE MR BEN HUNTER GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTON

TO NEW HAVENER'S:LET'S ALWAY'S KEEP THE GOOD TIMES WITH "BEN",AND HELP HIS FAMILY DEAL WITH
THESE HARD TIMES AND TRY TO HONOR HIS LIVING
LEDGE IN THE COMMUNITY.WE GOING MISS BEN AS OUR
SANTA CLAUSE AT THE ELK'S KIDS PARTY,EVERYBODY
ENJOYED HIM WITH BIG BAG FULL OF TOYS AND STORIES FOR THE KIDS.

He will truly be missed! Rest in peace hunt

Wow, Hunt you will be greatly missed by many. We will not be able to smell that big cigar or see you walking with all the people that love you surrounding around you, but one thing that I will remember that stands in my mind is this, at your last basketball shoot out this summer you told me that you had to witness death and from that you said you have turned your life over to God which is your higher power and you wasn't worrying about anything anymore and your right Hunt no more worrying and now you can walk around Heaven with all of your angles encamped around you and while your their please tell them that there are great people that you have touched in your life time that your very proud of who will miss you dearly.

May Hunt R.I.P

Hunt stole money from the non for profit that he ran via grants. He did not take the money from the kid's pockets, he put money in them. What he did was wrong. But the impact that he had on me when I was a student in NHPS will exceed that. I am not condoning Hunts Robin Hood style of stealing but growing up in the inner city of New Haven was an extremely hard thing to do in the 80s. Hunt set you straight, stayed late and talked to you as long as you needed him to. He never looked at his watch and he did not sugar coat anything! Too many of our educators don't want to make kids feel bad or talk about realties. If Hunt was anything, he was always real. I am so sad to hear that his last years on earth were so terrible that no one cared or loved him enough that months could go by and not check in on him. The Irony is that he lived directly across the street from Hillhouse. I for one will not remember the more recent troubling life of Hunt but I will always remember the man that stood tall, proud, and spoke the truth to inner city youth. Hunt's old school mentality is that of many black men from his era "Don't do as I do, do as I say do" . For those of us who spent detention after school at Troup "The reason I am here is because I am not there"

Didn't know Mr. Hunter, but it's so nice to see that there are people like this still out there who work so hard to make a difference in people's lives. Be at peace, Hunt.

Ben was a nice guy. I recall playing in the first shootout he organized in 1972 at Hillhouse. He was someone who always made me laugh. God give him heaven.

HUNT!!!!!!!!!! I CANT BELIEVE IT!!! I heard what happened and I could not believe it! However I am excited to know that you turned your life over to GOD!!!

You touched many many lives, you helped my family significantly and that will never be forgotten. I can recall a time when you and my mother was having a meeting about my brother and I that we knew nothing about. You chuckled @ us worrying, we just knew you was going to tell her about the skipped classes, the in school suspension and leaving the building for lunch. Even the time you said you wouldnt call our parents if we brought you a sandwich back from the corner store! LOL

You will be missed but never forgotten!! We LOVE YOU HUNT!

Trish

May you rest in peace and may your family
be comforted in this difficult time. Ben was
truly a New Haven leader for all people. His
interest and obvious committment to young folk
was total and uninterested. Ben certainly walk-
ed the walk in his work. You,sir, will be sorely missed and I pray that your example will
generate others to mimic your work. I am proud
to have been able to call you friend!

RIP Mr Hunter..I will always remember our 1st meeting after moving to New Haven from Stamford,summer of 1980.One afternoon I was watching all the talent of the Hillhouse Girls Basketball team/Maria Holland playing at Goffe St.As I watched,You came over to me & said "If you are going out for that team you better be ready & hungry,they don't play they mean busines this year & if you aint about the business in helping them win States Willie Boyd won't have no need for you.. You better move your way in,make a move,stay in or keep out" Then he walked away. WOW!! When the season ended Hillhouse had there 1st state Championship,I became a starter,the city was buzzing.Afterwards at the Q House Shoot Out..Ben Hunter said to me.."Stamford,You made your move & you did good too." with that big smile & a Bearhug.Thru out the years he has never forgotten these 2 conversations,whenever we crossed paths..He always asked the question. "Stamford,You still making moves?" So with that said..I say " Thanks Mr. Hunter for making moves in your community & in some many people lives."
Vonda Williams Pommills

Bro. Hunter will be missed in our community. words cannot express the sorrow that I feel in this loss. May Allah be pleased with him, forgive him of his sins, have mercy on him, and bless him with peace and paradise in the next life. Ameen.

What an amazing soul! I grew up under his leadership when he was a teacher and assistant principal at Hillhouse. In his day, Mr. Hunter taught kids how to settle differences on the court or in another positive forum. He made kids act right and taught us how to respect ourselves and to show respect as well. What a legacy he has left behind!!! He will be deeply missed.

Ben and I played high school and college ball together. He was a heck of a player but a better friend. We had some big fun together , shed blood and tears together on the court. May God God Bless You BIG FELLA. Love, Nate Reid , !963 VIA Champions, !965 Pennisular Champions , !967 Pespi Cola Champions (Pikeville Kentucky) West Virginia State College Yellowjackets.

for all those who did not have a father in their life, Hunt was that figure, every girl every boy. didn't have to be he saw you in the hallways at hillhouse for him to ask you "where you supposed to be right now?" on the street, in the hood, in the halls, Hunt was the same no matter where you ran into him. he will be missed for all the good he has done, and nothing else matters. r.i.p. Hunt, God bless and safe journey!

R.I.P. Hunt! Good man...looked out for me when I was pregnant with my son at Hillhouse in 1993. He definitely made a difference in my life and he will be missed.

I am so sorry to hear about Ben Death. He was an pillar to everyone and love by all the generations. There is nothing we can say that won't make us smile about the things he said and did for our children.

In 1972 I was an eighth grader playing for St. Michael's in the parochial school league. Going up for a rebound, I was undercut, fell on my head and sustained a concussion. Mr. Hunter took control of my situation, gave me the appropriate testing and stayed with me until the ambulance arrived. Later, he called my house to see if I was OK. I never forgot his help that day and when I would see him over the years, we always had a good laugh over the incident. Ben was a super guy who made some mistakes. May He Rest In Peace.

Ben Hunter was the first person to assist me with employment when I relocated to New Haven.. He was gracious and very loyal to people who knew him. A very trusted individual who did all he could for people...an unsung hero to many who knew him. he will be sorely missed. God bless you "Hunt" RIP

Hunt was forever trying to help people,especially young people. Always fun to be around, commanded your attention, and he had a presence that filled any space,and you knew that he was there. Also,he knew that you were there. It was difficult to get by him. He had a big HEART. Hunt, you will be missed by many.

Ben was my 1st Black gym Teacher at Ivy St School He was very Impressive to all the kids back then .And as we see now he kept that Legacy till he Passed on.So As For Memories Lets Remember That!

It saddens me to heard of his passing--Ben was a great man,who took time to care for others-who can ever-forget "the smell from his cigars"R.I.P.
Ben

"Firefighters found the body of a beloved Dixwell basketball coach and youth worker in a second-floor bedroom. He'd apparently been dead for some time.

The coach, Ben Hunter, a former assistant principal at Hillhouse High School, died of natural causes related to heart disease, according to the state medical examiner's office.

Firefighters discovered his partially decomposed body in his bedroom when they responded to a water emergency at his Crescent Street home 5:44 p.m. on Wednesday."

This is both sad and frightening for people who live alone. We read all of these wonderful comments about how much this man had positively touched the lives of many people. So many write that he will be missed; yet it is frightening that no one seemed to have noticed that he was missing for many days! Sad indeed! Do we as neighbors pay any attention to each other? Do we really take the time to notice or care if we have seen our neighbors?

How many of those who benefited from his generosity ever took the time to tell him how much his help had meant to them? Let us give people their flowers while they are here. In those dark days when Mr. Hunter's reputation was being trashed, I am sure it would have helped greatly if a few of those people had gotten out there and wrote about all the good he had done. Let us sure up people when they need it. To all those who did go to him and say: we know that you are a good person, and we are sorry for what is happening to you now, those people made a difference to Mr. Hunter.

The article does not tell us if he had family members in the area. Clearly, no one checked on him for some time! Who did he keep in touch with on a regular basis? Who would have called him if they had not heard from him for a week or more? Who had the keys to his apartment, so if he did not show up somewhere that person or persons would check his apartment? These are questions people who live alone need to be able to answer and make plans to address. As we age and become plagued with various illnesses we need to make plans; we need to arrange for friends or relatives to check on us at regular intervals. Living alone is scary stuff, especially when we are ill. Imagine what it must be like to be in pain, or to feel very ill but cannot reach out for help. As a society we have become so distant, so insolated from each other. Imagine... someone dies next door and the body is decomposing and yet no one calls the authorities to say, we have not seen Mr. Hunter in a week, or a few days, can you please come and check on him? A really sad commentary for all of us as a society.

To Concerned Resident: Thank you for taking the time and space to raise a very good point about people living alone. Please don't take my comment to you out of text or get bent all outta shape but in this case Hunt knew who loved him and who had his back. Before you believe everything you read, understand that he could have been gone for 3 days and that's not unlike Hunt to be "out of sight" for three days or even 15 days for that matter. In 2010 Hunt was hit hard with a lot of things that he had to deal with and in a time of tragedy I think it is very insensitive for you to take this platform and blast his family members for something you know nothing about. I know in the age of "on-line journalism, it is very easy to provide reckless comments and be able to hide behind a fake name. Realize that this situation is very hard on the family and you could of used better judgemet in posting commentary about this family's dynamics!! Yes, you have the right to FREEDOM OF SPEECH but some comments are meant for the bathroom. If you didn't have anything nice to say about Hunt or to his family then don't say anything at all. PLEASE IN THE FUTURE USE BETTER JUDGEMENT.......And if you're so "Concerned", why didn't you check on him!

Hunt was mi dude love him he did a lot for me and will always be rememberd gonna miss shooting layups for cash..ctshootout dayz

To New Haven Independent: The Article that was written was insensitive to Ben's family and friends. Hunt wasn't a person who kept in touch, if you knew him, he was a type of person to take off for 6months at a time and that's FACT!!!!!...for you to write such a judgemental article asking where was his family and friends. I believe before you write such a nasty article you need to get your "FACTS" straight and asked his family or friends before you start writing such an awful article that his family has to read during this sad time of losing such a great man. As a family member I am disgusting at this paper and the New Haven Register for writing such a MESS!!!! This is what you call Journalism???? THIS IS CALLED RECKLESS WRITING. Next time write this about your family and see how they feel. Ben Hunter's memory shouldn't be written like this.... what should be mention is how much BEN did in the community of New Haven and for innercity kids, What about his GIANT SMILE, his laugh,how much he love laughing, his laugh would ring in your ears after you left him... his heart, how much he loved to HELP KIDS, AND the list goes on and on....how he sacrificed his time for everyone in the community...this article should not be asking where was his family!!!! and especially not judging his family...how dare you....this is freedowm of speech ---this article has no substance, here is some more FACTS! HIS brothers did report Ben MISSSING...HIS BROTHERS did let the family know Ben was missing!!! HIS BROTHERS WERE LOOKING FOR BEN!!!!GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!!!! R.I.P UNLCE!!!!! LOVE YOU ALWAYS

[Editor: The comments you refer to came in the form of a reader response, not the original article.]

I want to express my absolute shock at reading the response to the comment posted by Concerned Citizen. The intent of the piece has nothing to do with blaming the family; far from it. In fact, the comment says -- the article did not state if Mr. Hunter has family members in the area. How then could the comment be intended to blame family members who the writer does not know if they exist? The intent was to say to all of us who live alone -- does someone have your key? Are there arrangements made for others to check in on you if they don't hear from you? It was an appeal to all of us to live a little more consciously and don't take so much for granted. It is also a call to us as neighbors to be a little more mindful of our surroundings. It had nothing to do with critizing family members. Sadly, it has been horribly misinterpreted.

We live in a society where we are often afraid to even offer help because things are often so crazy and unpredictable. We are afraid to stop by the road to give someone help because it might be a trap. Sadly, we cannot even comment on a life situation that causes us concern without also being seriously misinterpreted and verbally attacked. Where do we go from here? The whole state of affairs is truly sad. This is why so many people decide is simply withdraw from the broader society; participating can be dangerous.

All I would like to say is that the good out way the bad.
Rest in Peace Hunt.

Hunt, You took a chance on me to work for you when I couldn't find a job anywhere else. I will never forget everything you have done for me and the city of New Haven. Alot of people lives have been touched because of you. The memory of you in the city of New Haven will be remembered for years to come.

Hunt, my ten years working with you at Hillhouse was a pleasure. You taught me sooo much and I learned a lot from watching you. The kids named me "baby hunt" and I will forever rep the name. The lesson, even in your death is to stay in contact with the ones you love. I had no idea you were in the house so long like that. Hunt, everybody thought you were in jail. I'm sooo sorry I didn't take the time to stop by and check for myself. Unfortunately, it's too late to give you the flowers while you were alive and to smell them-but I will say this...even in death,...you are still larger than life! I can still smell the garlic hunt and i'm still proud to have been called a son by you. I love you and I see you!

Mr. Hunter:

There are not words to adequately articulate, reciprocate and/or express the gratitude that generations of young people raised in New Haven, CT have for the impact you have had on our lives. Thank you for always being authentic, thank you for believing we were brilliant and capable, thank you for continually pushing us, thank you for always getting us out of the halls into class – simply put, thank you for always being there.

All challenges in life aside, you were an exemplary educator, leader and friend. "Kids do not care that one knows, until they know that one cares." And, from top to bottom, decade after decade you poured your heart and spirit into us – New Haven's youth. We will always carry your jovial laugh, warm memory, "Yo G's" and commanding energy with us. And, we have learned how to lead a caring and impassioned life by the leadership of your example. We love you, we forever thank you, and may God rest your soul in peace.

You were not better than most – you were the best!

Blessings to those close to you that you leave behind.

Somberly submitted,
Charmion N. Kinder
Hillhouse Senior Class of 1999

I remember Ben Hunter from the 1960's when he was my bus driver and great basketball player at Bruton Heights High school in Williamsburg,Va.You couldn't find a better role model and individual at the time. He influenced me to play basketball and get into coaching even on the college level. He will be greatly missed.