Betty Masterson was born in Yonkers, New York, and upon graduation from high school in Yonkers attended Middlebury College, graduating in 1947. She married and settled in Cheshire, Connecticut. While raising their three daughters, she spent many hours in volunteer activities such as Girl Scouts and reading for the New Haven unit of Recording for the Blind. After several years as a volunteer at Recording for the Blind, Betty was employed there as studio Director. In 1991, she moved to Plymouth, Vermont with her second husband Jim Masterson, and once again became an active volunteer at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation and the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Reading about Calvin Coolidge inspired her work for the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, and eventually led to trusteeship. She has helped develop the development and educational coordinator positions at the foundation. She initiated the scholarship for a college student now given each year.