By Preston Leete Smith
posted
Jan 17, 2013
Betty Merrill was a longtime local resident of the Town of
Sherburne (now Killington). In 1958 Killington boasted the enormous
population of 266, including the extended Merrill family. I had
come to Town in 1956 with the plan to develop Killington Ski
Resort. My wife Sue and I soon became acquainted with the whole
Kenneth Merrill family, including Betty and Harold, since their
business was auto mechanics, but more importantly, just good down
to earth friends.
Betty had the deep misfortune of losing her husband at an all to
early age.
Killington gradually took shape with an extremely rapid growth
rate thus requiring employment of many local folks and beyond.
Circa 1965, Norma Biathrow, then working in the famous
Killington Marketing Department talked Betty into a job with our
company.
Her talents were put to work immediately, rolling picture
posters to stuff mailers. In short order we found her real talent,
which in part stemmed from her telephone company experience in
Connecticut where she grew up. The other talent was her voice.
Betty's telephone experience and her melodic voice became the
obvious choice to put her on the radio to provide daily snow
reports to the World. She was, in fact, the first woman to air snow
reports.
She was the receptionist operator par excellence and I dare say
that she literally handled millions of calls to Killington.
Raining, snowing, blowing or 35 below F she handled all with
aplomb. Customers would visit the office just to meet this person
with the beautiful voice and exceptional personality.
Betty's work ethic, devotion to the Company, friends and
community were indeed a model for others to follow.
Betty love by all will always be remembered as "The Voice of
Killington."
