"I'm more proud of my work with the crusade than of anything else I've ever done," she said, trying not to cry. "I get emotional just thinking about it. If ever there was a man of God, it's Billy Graham."
In 1967, she married her third husband. After their divorce 11 years later, Page plunged into a depression marked by violent mood swings. She got into an argument with her landlady and attacked her with a knife. A judge found her innocent by reason of insanity but sentenced her to 10 years in a California mental institution.
She emerged from San Bernardino's Patton State Hospital in 1992 to find that there was new interest in her story and her old poses.
A movie called "The Rocketeer" and the comic book that inspired it contained a Bettie Page-esque character, setting off the revival, among women as well as men, that continues unabated.
"Bettie Page is much different than our other clients," said CMG Chairman Mark Roesler, referring to a pantheon of American icons including James Dean and Babe Ruth. "But she has an international following. Only Marilyn Monroe rivals her in terms of Internet traffic."
In the autumn of her life, Page is learning to accept what her modeling meant for her and for American popular culture.
"Young women say I helped them come out of their shells," she said. "And 13 rock groups have written songs about me. One song has these lyrics all the way through, 'I love Bettie Page. I love Bettie Page. I love Bettie Page.' "
Still, she shuns the public eye, rarely venturing out even with trusted friends. These days Page spends most days reading the Bible, listening to Christian music and country tunes, watching oaters on television and catching up on the latest diet plans and exercise regimes.
But a few weeks ago, with confidant and CMG executive Richard Bann as her escort, she joined Hefner at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles for a special screening of "The Notorious Bettie Page."
Page had a beef with the title.
"Notorious? That's not flattering at all," she said. "They should have used another word."
In an interview, the film's producer, Pam Koffler, said, "The title was meant ironically. Bettie Page gained such notoriety for her modeling, but the real person and her life were exactly opposite of all that."
Page had one request for this story -- that her face not be photographed.
"I want to be remembered," she said, "as I was when I was young and in my golden times.... I want to be remembered as a woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form."
But this much can be shared. Her face remains smooth and fresh, and one can still see the face of the young woman in the old. Her eyes, bright blue, still sparkle.
It was late afternoon when Page, visibly fatigued from all the autographing, was presented with a special request. A man who had purchased 10 Bettie Page paintings wanted a personal dedication on a blank piece of paper.
"What do we know about this man?" she demanded to know. "Is he a nice guy? Would I love him like a brother?"
"His name is Jeffrey," Hildalgo said. "He's a nurse at San Quentin."
"All right then. Don't wiggle the table, please," Page said. "I want to get this just right."
"To Jeffrey," she wrote. "Much love, Bettie Page."
