Golden Girls

Through dizzying highs and crushing lows, one thing has been a constant in Hillary’s life: her BFF Betsy Ebeling. Here’s her take on over 50 years of friendship.

She was the teacher’s favorite. I was the troublemaker. Just look at our class photo: Hillary at one end with Mrs. King’s hand on her shoulder; me on the other with a mischievous look in my eye. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton has been my best friend since I was 11 and she was almost 11 (she loves those six months when she gets to say she’s a year younger!). Having left my Chicago friends behind, I was the new girl in sixth grade at Eugene Field School in Park Ridge, Illinois. We hit it off right away. We loved to ice-skate, ride our bikes, and listen to records. We lived for the Beatles. She favored Paul, and I liked George. When he died in 2001, she called me to offer condolences. We both loved books, especially Nancy Drew mysteries. To this day, we exchange reading lists.