Remembering JFK's Final Birthday on the Yacht Sequoia

 Forty-nine years ago, on May 29, 1963, first Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wanted to celebrate President Kennedy's 46th birthday in a very special way.  She knew he was always happiest when he was on the water, and surrounded by family and friends, so she organized an evening cruise aboard the presidential yacht, U.S.S. Sequoia.

In his memoir, Mrs. Kennedy and Me (Gallery/Simon and Schuster, April 2012), Secret Service Agent Clint Hill remembers the evening in great detail.

It was a dreary, rainy evening, making the open-air top deck unusable, so everybody was crammed inside the main and aft salons.  While Agents Floyd Boring, Ron Pontius and I stood post on the exterior walkways, the guests inside dined on roast filet of beef and 1955 Dom Perignon champagne.  People were in lively spirits to begin with, and as the night wore on, and the champagne flowed, the party got louder and livelier. There were plenty of toasts, and after birthday cake at the dining table, the president opened presents in the aft salon. Then the dancing started.  They were doing the twist, the cha-cha, and everything in between.  I don't think I had ever seen the president and Mrs. Kennedy having more fun. . . Nobody wanted the night to end. 


Tonight, May 29, 2012, I am privileged to join Clint Hill as he relives that historic birthday party aboard the Sequoia for a special memorial cruise with distinguished guests.  I can hardly wait!

Check back here for details and photos tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.  Your legacy continues.

Mrs. Kennedy and Me #2 on NYTimes Best Seller List

Clint Hill and I had barely checked into our hotel in Dallas this afternoon when we got a call from our editor, Mitchell Ivers, at Gallery Books.  


"In its second week, Mrs. Kennedy and Me is #2 on the New York Times Best Seller List," he said. "Congratulations!"


We are here in Dallas for a presentation tomorrow, April 19, 2:00 pm at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.  Mr. Hill and I are thrilled that people are enjoying the book and that his moving story is resonating with readers of all ages. 


We've been on a whirlwind book tour with stops in New York City, Kansas City, San Diego/La Jolla, San Francisco/Corte Madera, and now Dallas.  Up at 4:30 am for early morning live television interviews and going non-stop many days until 10:00 pm after a book signing event.  I am having a tough time keeping up with Mr. Hill!

We did have a breather yesterday while in Belvedere, CA and took this self-photo on a beautiful day with the San Francisco skyline in the background.  

Thank you, Liz Smith!

4.13.12: LIZ SMITH: Clint Hill's Tender and Loving Memories ... | New York Social Diary

USA Today Picks Mrs. Kennedy and Me

USA Today Weekend Book Picks

What should you read this weekend? USA TODAY's picks for book lovers include a memoir by Jacqueline Kennedy's Secret Service agent, and two kids' baseball books just in time for the new season.

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Mrs. Kennedy and Me
By Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin; Gallery, $26; non-fiction

It's been like Camelot all over again lately, with a flurry of books about Jack and Jackie Kennedy hitting the best-seller lists.

Now comes a "charming" memoir from Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who was assigned to protect the first lady. Hill, now 80, became world-famous as the agent seen frantically climbing onto the back of the presidential limo the day JFK was assassinated.

Hill's great affection for the first lady shines through.

USA TODAY says *** ½ out of four. "An insightful and lovingly penetrating portrait of the Jacqueline Kennedy that Hill came to know."

Lisa McCubbin on Writing Clint Hill's Mrs. Kennedy and Me

On April 5, I squeezed in a quick interview with Arthur Kade at the Peninsula Hotel in New York City about what it was like to write the book, MRS. KENNEDY AND ME, with Secret Service Agent Clint Hill.  The laughter, the tears, and re-living the memories.

Arthur was delightful, and while he kept referring to Jacqueline Kennedy as "Jackie O,"  I think that by the end of the interview, he may have broken the habit.  For, to Clint Hill, she will forever be, "Mrs. Kennedy."

Clint Hill on NBC Nightly News

NBC Nightly News April 5 Part 1

NBC Nightly News clip of Savannah Guthrie's poignant interview with Clint Hill.

Secret Service Agent Clint Hill on Today Show

Thank you to NBC's Savannah Guthrie and producer, Jennifer Long, from the Today Show for the respectful and beautiful story about Clint Hill and his memoir, MRS. KENNEDY AND ME.  Savannah and the rest of the crew from the show were true professionals.  As a former television news anchor and reporter, I know how stretched for time these people are, yet they clearly did their homework, came prepared to the interview, and put together a piece which is just as classy and elegant as Mrs. Kennedy herself.  Well done Today!

Click here to see the moving interview: 

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