Like many women in the 60’s, Kathryn Childers was expected teach school, find a husband and quietly settle down. Instead she took off to Washington D.C., admitted she could type and snagged a secretarial job with a Colorado Congressman. Not her dream job, but by chance in 1970, the United States Secret Service decided to recruit female special agents and Kathryn was hired as one the first five women in their history to carry the badge and a .357 magnum revolver.
Navigating those uncharted waters with a deadeye aim and a sense of humor, Kathryn protected Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr. while traveling with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the First Family – the Nixon’s, and foreign dignitaries such as the Queen of Spain. On the flip side, she also worked undercover to ferret out threats against the President and counterfeiters.
Marriage to a Corpus Christi psychiatrist brought her to Texas, where she hosted her own television talk show for 18 years and started a media/publishing company that published and sold more than a 100,000 books based on a fluke Christmas Eve Texas snowstorm.
Kathryn credits the Secret Service for jump-starting her fascinating life and perhaps it was her willingness to step into the line of fire that set the stage for a lifetime commitment to community service. She initiated First Friday, a group that has funded more than 16,000 free mammograms. In her spare time, Kathryn dons elaborate clown garb to cheer up youngsters at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. No surprise, she is “Sassy the Sheriff” complete with boots, spurs, and a big red nose!
Retiring to Rockport … she and her husband loaded up their two cocker spaniels and hit the road in their 25-foot Airstream trailer, seeing America by day and writing her book “Do It Scared” by night. She does all the driving … even backing it up … logging 20,000 miles in 28 states in one year. It appears she still hasn’t settled down!