This is Cheryl and me. Cheryl lives in Taos, New Mexico, and I visited her in early June.

Cheryl and I met in 2016 when she sent me an email:

I understand you would like to be in contact with anyone who knew Camilla Hall.

She and I were best friends in her Los Angeles years, previous to her moving to Berkeley in the early 1970s. I visited her there once and we stayed in contact until just prior to the Hearst kidnapping when she dropped out of sight.  I have several of her drawings, and some letters and photos.

I would be glad to share my memories of those days.

What a gift Cheryl has been to me and my research. When Camilla died in 1974, her three siblings had already preceded her in death. By the time I started researching Camilla’s life, her parents had died. The Halls moved around a lot and never lived near extended family, so Camilla didn’t really know her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Finding people who actually knew her who are still alive is exceedingly rare.

Cheryl indeed had some prints of Camilla’s, and well as a treasure of a few snapshots. She kindly has let me use them for inclusion in the book (to be released Fall 2022). She sent me the prints last October and right then I decided that my first post-pandemic airplane trip would be to Taos to thank Cheryl in person. She was a gracious host, feeding me and taking me to some Taos highlights.

I really feel that Camilla “introduced” me to Cheryl and I’ve come away with a friend. The web of the universe is so fascinating.