Co-authors former Secret Service agent Clint Hill ’54 and Lisa McCubbin make a return to Concordia College to talk about their new book, “Mrs. Kennedy and Me,” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, in the Centrum. A book signing will follow the lecture in the Atrium. The event is free and open to the public.
Having helped his friend and fellow agent Jerry Blaine and McCubbin with the facts for the book “The Kennedy Detail,” Hill was joined by McCubbin last year as they spoke to an overflow crowd during Concordia’s Homecoming week. In the captivating new book Hill shares his story for the first time in 50 years offering a tragic portrayal of how a Secret Service agent who started life in a North Dakota orphanage became the most trusted man in the life of the First Lady. Though most credited Hill with saving Mrs. Kennedy’s life that fateful day in 1963 when the president was assassinated, he didn’t feel like a hero and spent years in the grips of a deep depression.
Born in Larimore, N.D., in 1932 and adopted by a Washburn, N.D., couple, Hill attended Concordia after high school, majoring in history and physical education, and lettering in football and baseball. Plans to be a teacher were derailed by the draft where Hill, serving in the Army, was selected to be a special agent for the counter intelligence corps and eventually landed a position with the Denver Secret Service after he was discharged. In 1959 he was tapped to go to Washington, D.C., to protect President Eisenhower.
North Dakota Observes Child Passenger Safety Week
BISMARCK, N.D. – In observance of National Child Passenger Safety Week September 16 through 22, 2012, The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) is asking parents and caregivers to pay special attention to how they put their child in a car seat – each time they ride in a car. When going through the daily repetitive motions of buckling up children each day, it’s easy to take short cuts or not secure children in the car seat or the car seat in the car properly.
The NDDoH is emphasizing this after learning about the results from the report, “Child Passengers at Risk, 2011 North Dakota Car Seat Checkup Summary.” North Dakota car seat checkup statistics continue to indicate a high percentage of car seats are misused. While the percent of misuse has gone down since 2010, the overall misuse rate of car seats in North Dakota is 84 percent.
According to the report completed by the NDDoH, data collected from car seat checkups statewide show the top five forms of misuse include:
53 percent of the children were not secured tightly by the car seat harness.
34 percent of the children had the harness clip located on their body incorrectly.
29 percent of the harnesses were in the wrong slots for the child riding in the car seat.
49 percent of the car seats were not installed tight enough in the car.
47 percent of the car seat tether straps were not used to help anchor the seat to the vehicle.
To cut down on misuse, the Department of Health always suggests reading the instructions for the car seat and the vehicle owner’s manual. Since correct use of car seats can be complicated and confusing, the state health department encourages caregivers to attend a car seat checkup or contact a certified child passenger safety technician for help. There are approximately 200 certified child passenger safety technicians in the state. To find a certified technician near you, call the North Dakota Department of Health at 701.328.4536 or 800.472.2286, or visit www.ndhealth.gov/injury or the NHTSA website at www.nhtsa.gov/.
In addition, the department recommends the following tips:
Choose the right car seat to fit your child’s size, age, physical development and behavioral needs.
Install your car seat into the vehicle with either the lower anchors and tethers (LATCH) or the seat belt, not both.
If the car seat instructions recommend using a tether anchor strap, make sure to use it. This anchors the top of the car seat to the vehicle.
Once installed, car seats should not move more than one inch.
Harnesses should always be snug on a child’s body to keep them from moving in a crash. The more a child moves in a crash, the likelihood of injury increases.
Don’t move children to booster seats too early, children should not go into booster seats before 4 years of age. Keep children in harnessed car seats to the maximum size limits.
Keep kids in booster seats until they are 4 foot 9 inches tall, which is usually around 8 to 12 years of age. This will help ensure the seat belt fits their body correctly.
For more information about child passenger safety, contact Dawn Mayer, North Dakota Department of Health, at 701.328.4536. To access the “Child Passengers at Risk Report,” visit http://www.ndhealth.gov/injuryprevention.