| Of all the stories to excite public interest in UFOs, none has so
arrested the popular imagination as the case of Betty and Barney Hill.
First publicized in October 1965 by the Boston Traveler, the Hill
story has achieved what is probably the highest level of public recognition
of any UFO report, and continues even now to generate intense curiosity,
even among people who know nothing about UFOs
For those who have followed the UFO subject, the Hill's report needs
no recounting. Beginning with their initial sighting on a lonely New Hampshire
highway and ending at the moment they found themselves some 45 miles down
the road, unable to account for much of the time in between, it is a compelling
and dramatic account.
NICAP members were among the first to learn of the incident, which
was reported in the January-February 1962 issue of the UFO Investigator
following a letter to Major Donald Keyhoe from Betty Hill describing
the part of the experience the couple consciously remembered. At the time
of the letter, the Hills had no suspicion of what was to later emerge
in Betty's dreams and in subsequent hypnotic sessions with psychiatrist
Dr. Benjamin Simon. That letter, written six days after the sighting,
is still on file at NICAP.
One fact many people do not know is that Barney Hill suffered a cerebral
hemorrhage on February 25, 1969, and passed away that same day after being
removed from his home to the Portsmouth, N.H., hospital. His death, at
46, provoked speculation that his alleged encounter with alien creatures
may have contributed to the stroke that claimed his life. As published
accounts disclosed, he had experienced severe symptoms of distress following
the UFO sighting and had consulted with two doctors in 1962 (the year
after the sighting) in an unsuccessful attempt to relieve his nervous
condition. Although he and Betty had both reported extreme anxiety in
wake of their experience, it was Barney who clearly reacted with greater
emotional shock to the events of that fateful September journey.
Betty Hill holds dress she wore on night of sighting.
Faded and no longer used,
it hangs in bedroom closet as mute reminder of events
that changed her life. "
You are the first person to ask me about it," she told
NICAP photographer.
Today, Betty Hill still lives in the red frame house she and Barney
returned to the night of the sighting. With her live a cat named Buttercup
("Barney's favorite") and a dog named Randy, neither part of the family
in 1961 when the sighting occurred. Their pet dachshund Delsey, who was
in the car at the time of the encounter, died in 1968. Betty continues
to serve with the New Hampshire department of public welfare as a social
worker, and remains active in other community work, as she always has.
Cheerful, happy to answer questions, and remarkably unperturbed by the
constant attention she receives, she has adjusted to her unexpected role
of celebrity with style and grace.
Larger map: Route taken by Betty & Barney
Hill on the night of September 19, 1961
Sighting occurred while Hills were traveling south
on U.S. Route 3. Shortly
after passing Indian Head, they encountered mysterious
object at close range
(X marks approximate spot). Broken line indicates possible
route couple took
during "abduction" sequence. X near Waterville is
possible site of second
encounter.
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