Sarasota Magazine Interviews Clint Hill
Mrs. Kennedy and Me: Q&A with Author Clint Hill
Courageous is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of Clint
Hill. Maybe you don’t recognize the name right off – but it’s certain
you know the man. Hill was the Secret Service agent who leaped onto the
back of President and Mrs. Kennedy’s motorcade on that fateful November
day in Dallas, 1963. He’s a memorable figure of bravery during a time
of great grief.
Clint Hill, referred to by Mrs. Kennedy as “Mr. Hill,” was the Secret
Service agent assigned to Jackie as she entered the White House as
First Lady. In his memoir Mrs. Kennedy and Me , co-written with Lisa McCubbin, he recounts the days of Camelot and his role as one of her knights in shinning armor.
I caught up with Clint–or rather, Mr. Hill–for a brief Q&A just
before he and co-author Lisa McCubbin make their way to Sarasota for Designing Women Boutique Ambassador’s Guild’s “Out to Lunch“ event on March 5. The luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. in Sarasota’s newest ballroom venue The Francis, 1289 N. Palm Avenue; Sarasota Magazine is a proud sponsor. Ticket pricing begins at $95/per person, call (941) 366-5293.
Tell us something we might not know about the woman behind the style icon, Jackie Kennedy?
I do not believe that people really know what a hands-on mother Mrs.
Kennedy was. Yes, they had a nanny; however, Mrs. Kennedy directed
everything the children did. She spent as much time as possible with
Caroline and John. I also do not believe people realize how dedicated
she was to her husband. She made every effort to give the President the
opportunity to relax and spend some time away from the stress and
strains of the office. For instance, arranging small, intimate dinner
parties with close friends.
On a lighter style note, as her Secret Service agent I
imagine you accompanied her to a store or two – share with us her
favorite spots to shop.
Although she enjoyed going to antique stores in New York and clothing
stores in Palm Beach, it became impossible to do so because of the
crowds that gathered when she appeared. It became necessary to have
vendors come to her. And I, on occasion, shopped for her myself.
Many photos were taken of the First Lady with you within a polite distance – do you have a favorite?
Yes, at the airport in Rome, where she is trying to decide about a
gift to bring home to the President and is asking my advice. This photo
is on the back cover of the book.
Do you have a favorite tender moment memory of Mrs. Kennedy with her children?
She loved to ride horses and shared that passion with John and
Caroline. In Middleburg, she would ride her horse, holding John, while
Caroline rode her pony, Macaroni, alongside them.
Where did she seem most at home?
She seemed to be at home whenever she and the children were together
with the President—whether that was Hyannis Port, Palm Beach or
Middleburg.
It’s clear in this memoir that you admire Mrs. Kennedy a great deal – what do you respect most about her?
Her determination to raise her children as unspoiled as possible,
knowing that the entire world was, and always would be, watching.
Mrs. Kennedy was a tremendously high-profile figure, so much
so that while in Paris in 1961, President Kennedy remarked that he would
be remembered as “the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris.”
What was it like protecting a woman of such popularity?
Like all protective assignments, the more popular the figure, the
more difficult the job. Her desire for privacy and her continued
spontaneity required me to be very creative.
During your four years as her Secret Service agent I’m sure
you encountered some incredibly notable world influencers and
celebrities – anyone that you remember fondly?
Gianni Agnelli, president of Fiat Corporation, and Princess Irena Galitzine, noted designer—both of whom I met in Italy.
In the book, you have many anecdotes about the family – would you share one with us here?
Some of my fondest memories are of being with Mrs. Kennedy, the
President, and the children, while they enjoyed their deep love of the
water activities off the coast of Cape Cod: sailing, water skiing, and
swimming.
What’s next for you, Mr. Hill?
This process of writing and promoting Mrs. Kennedy and Me
with Lisa McCubbin has been so enjoyable and beneficial to me, that we
are now working on another project together—a new book, that is
anticipated to be released in November 2013.
Courageous is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of Clint
Hill. Maybe you don’t recognize the name right off – but it’s certain
you know the man. Hill was the Secret Service agent who leaped onto the
back of President and Mrs. Kennedy’s motorcade on that fateful November
day in Dallas, 1963. He’s a memorable figure of bravery during a time
of great grief.
Clint Hill, referred to by Mrs. Kennedy as “Mr. Hill,” was the Secret
Service agent assigned to Jackie as she entered the White House as
First Lady. In his memoir Mrs. Kennedy and Me , co-written with Lisa McCubbin, he recounts the days of Camelot and his role as one of her knights in shinning armor.
I caught up with Clint–or rather, Mr. Hill–for a brief Q&A just
before he and co-author Lisa McCubbin make their way to Sarasota for Designing Women Boutique Ambassador’s Guild’s “Out to Lunch“ event on March 5. The luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. in Sarasota’s newest ballroom venue The Francis, 1289 N. Palm Avenue; Sarasota Magazine is a proud sponsor. Ticket pricing begins at $95/per person, call (941) 366-5293.
Tell us something we might not know about the woman behind the style icon, Jackie Kennedy?
I do not believe that people really know what a hands-on mother Mrs.
Kennedy was. Yes, they had a nanny; however, Mrs. Kennedy directed
everything the children did. She spent as much time as possible with
Caroline and John. I also do not believe people realize how dedicated
she was to her husband. She made every effort to give the President the
opportunity to relax and spend some time away from the stress and
strains of the office. For instance, arranging small, intimate dinner
parties with close friends.
On a lighter style note, as her Secret Service agent I
imagine you accompanied her to a store or two – share with us her
favorite spots to shop.
Although she enjoyed going to antique stores in New York and clothing
stores in Palm Beach, it became impossible to do so because of the
crowds that gathered when she appeared. It became necessary to have
vendors come to her. And I, on occasion, shopped for her myself.
Many photos were taken of the First Lady with you within a polite distance – do you have a favorite?
Yes, at the airport in Rome, where she is trying to decide about a
gift to bring home to the President and is asking my advice. This photo
is on the back cover of the book.
Do you have a favorite tender moment memory of Mrs. Kennedy with her children?
She loved to ride horses and shared that passion with John and
Caroline. In Middleburg, she would ride her horse, holding John, while
Caroline rode her pony, Macaroni, alongside them.
Where did she seem most at home?
She seemed to be at home whenever she and the children were together
with the President—whether that was Hyannis Port, Palm Beach or
Middleburg.
It’s clear in this memoir that you admire Mrs. Kennedy a great deal – what do you respect most about her?
Her determination to raise her children as unspoiled as possible,
knowing that the entire world was, and always would be, watching.
Mrs. Kennedy was a tremendously high-profile figure, so much
so that while in Paris in 1961, President Kennedy remarked that he would
be remembered as “the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris.”
What was it like protecting a woman of such popularity?
Like all protective assignments, the more popular the figure, the
more difficult the job. Her desire for privacy and her continued
spontaneity required me to be very creative.
During your four years as her Secret Service agent I’m sure
you encountered some incredibly notable world influencers and
celebrities – anyone that you remember fondly?
Gianni Agnelli, president of Fiat Corporation, and Princess Irena Galitzine, noted designer—both of whom I met in Italy.
In the book, you have many anecdotes about the family – would you share one with us here?
Some of my fondest memories are of being with Mrs. Kennedy, the
President, and the children, while they enjoyed their deep love of the
water activities off the coast of Cape Cod: sailing, water skiing, and
swimming.
What’s next for you, Mr. Hill?
This process of writing and promoting Mrs. Kennedy and Me
with Lisa McCubbin has been so enjoyable and beneficial to me, that we
are now working on another project together—a new book, that is
anticipated to be released in November 2013.
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