Covering the Kennedys took a toll on Washburn native
By Michael Johnson, Editor
Clint Hill, a Washburn native, is best known for his work as a Secret Service agent assigned to protect Jackie Kennedy on the scene the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963. Hill graduated from Washburn in 1948, according to a 1963 edition of The Washburn Leader. Hill quietly came to town for his mother’s funeral, but other than that, he has kept to Arlington, Va. Even so, he is considered by some, one of Washburn’s most famous individuals. While his time here in Washburn was limited, he was remembered by several that knew of the heroics he went through. Hill was originally adopted by Washburn residents Chris and Jennie Hill. The family lived on Main Avenue. According to a fellow school mate, Jack Eichhorst, Hill was an excellent ball player in both baseball and basketball. Since leaving, Hill attended college at Concordia, where he graduated in 1954, then joined the army and went into the Secret Service in 1958. Hill retired from that position in 1975, when he was up for a promotion to an administrative position. At that time, he was considered not fit for the duties. Eichhorst recently met up with Hill again at Concordia College in Moorhead, where Hill was honored with the Alumni Achievement Award for his outstanding service. The two had not seen each other since Aug. 1964, when Eichhorst visited Hill in Washington, D.C.
