> This is devastating. I, too, met Betsy and her sister in Monaco,
> and on
> September 10, 2001, as if the universe were sending me strength for
> what
> was to come the next day, Betsy arrived in San Francisco to give me
> and
> a friend backstage passes to a private concert Diana did for Bank of
> America employees. After the show, she and I accompanied Diana's band
> to the Palace Hotel where in perfect innocence we toasted the last few
> hours of the world as we knew it. Betsy was with me only twice, but
> they were the two best, most sustaining times I have known, and they
> shine more brightly in my memory for her having been there. We all
> have
> many things for which we are grateful to Miss Ross, but the
> friendships
> -- some brief and sparkling, some enduring and deep, all profoundly
> cherished * born and blooming within the sound of that silken voice,
> it is for those friendships that I am most grateful.
>
> Today I shared my slim portion of Betsy's life with the students in
> the
> high school where I teach. I told them about her gifts, how she hated
> Mahogony because it meant the show was nearly over, how she preferred
> Diana solo to the Supremes, that she had a remix of "Love Hangover"
> that
> I'd never heard, that she was more down to earth than most of us, but
> relentless where Miss Ross is concerned. They were visibly moved, and
> we decided to dedicate the day's classes to her, and to honor her
> with a
> song. Monday, I will wear my backstage pass to school, as I do every
> September 10, but this year I wear it for Betsy.
>
> My deep sympathy to Betsy's family, and love to all,
>
> Joseph Hill
