A Salute to Betty Hill

The Pow Wow blogger with Betty Hill at Indian Head Resort circa 1989

A few weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of “working” during Indian Head Resort’s
50th Anniversary Of the Betty and Barney Hill’s UFO abduction. The event was hosted by Kathleen Marden, Betty Hill’s niece and caretaker of the Hill’s estate. Stanton Friedman was the special guest of the event. Mr Friedman is a Nuclear Physicist and probably the world’s best known and respected UFOlogists. Highlights of the weekend were Kathleen’s guided tour of the Hills abduction route through New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Stantonand Kathleen also co-hosted a book signing “meet and greet” as well as a lecture focusing on the tale of how the Hills Story was leaked to the press and the the hypnosis sessions that led
to Betty and Barney’s recalling what happened during that September evening and early morning in 1961. As Betty and Barney attempted to retrace their journey, they were frequent guests
at the Indian Head Resort.
Barney passed away in 1969 and Betty Hill went on to become a well known figure in the world of UFO “believers”. She traveled the USA and beyond, sharing her UFO experience in a matter-of-fact, no nonsense way. Betty presented lectures at Indian Head Resort several times before her death in 2004. I was lucky enough to meet Betty a couple of times when she visited
Indian Head, and my strong impression is that this was a very down to Earth (no pun intended – well maybe a little) lady, she was a native New Hampshirite to the bone with a pedigree going back to the 1700′s in the Granite State. She was a warm, friendly lady and I miss her.
I would like the Hill’s story to be remembered as one of two ordinary people who shared an exrtaordinary event. I hope that Betty and Barney’s work in the Civil Rights movement, their being active in the UnitarianUniverswalist fellowship in Portsmouth NH and as two people who loved each other enough to have the courage to be an interacial couple in a time when that was a rather risky social status, to say the least.
I’m looking forward to Kathleen Madrden and Stanton Friedman returning to Indian Head Resort in September of 2012. This year’s event was such a success that we are having another UFO event. We would love to see this become a annual event. In the meantime, keep your doors closed and your mind open!