Driving off into the Sunset After 47 Years at Hallmark-The year was 1967. A High school senior with a talent for art named Don Palmiter was about to graduate and was still mulling over his choices in art schools. Would he go to Kansas City Art Institute? Or maybe a small, private school in Springfield, Missouri? Or would fate intervene and put him on another path entirely?

“One day in class my art teacher pulled me aside and told me that Hallmark was hosting a recruitment assembly in our school auditorium. I told him I had plans to go to college. But he was persistent and suggested I apply and see what happens.”

Don took his advise and presented his portfolio, which was filled with intricate pen and ink drawings. And on June 5, 1967, exactly one week after graduation, Don was working full time in Hallmark’s Artistic Engraving department. It didn’t take long for him to make a name for himself and after stints working with various departments including Hallmark Gallery, Don landed in what would become the Keepsake Studio.

“When I started creating Keepsake Ornaments, I was working almost exclusively in collectibles on a line called Hometown America,” says Don. His work included a series of collectible pedal cars-something he enjoyed working on and that would resurface in miniature as a popular line of Keepsake Ornaments called Kiddie Car Classics.

“When I came into Keepsakes, one thing I noticed was we didn’t have much product specifically aimed at guys. And I have two passions in life…anything with wheels and architecture. So I immediately presented an idea for a classic car series. It took three years of convincing, but we finally launched my Classic Car series in 1991 with a ’57 Corvette®.” Later, he started working on the iconic Nostalgic Houses and Shops series as well.

“While I’ve worked on a lot of different Keepsake Ornaments, those two series pretty much set my path in Keepsakes. I’m pretty much know as the car guy,” And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

So what lies ahead? Well, he’s definitely not slowing down. While he and his wife plan to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be closer to their daughter and grandchild, Don plans to keep the wheels turning as a contributing artist to the Keepsake Studio. In fact he already has the next two ornaments in the Classic American Car series planned-plus, he’ll be at two of the artist signings this year. Stay tuned as more details about Don’s future plans roll in.