CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The name Kathryn Childers may ring a bell to you, especially if you grew up in the Coastal Bend or a long-time viewer of 3News.
Childers is a woman with many hats, she’s is not just a former 3News anchor, but also one of the first five female agents in the secret service.
“I’ve always been a storyteller,” said Childers.
For many years Childers told stories through living room televisions across the Coastal Bend.
“When I first started on channel 3, they asked me if I would be afraid to talk to important people on the morning show and I kind of laughed and said I don’t think you read my resume. I was a secret service agent with some pretty important people,” said Childers.
Childers a trailblazer who broke barriers.
“It’s the 50th anniversary of the five of us. I being the only civilian hired as the first female agents in the secret service back in 1971 when we were sworn in as agents,” said Childers.
“I was an unlikely agent because the path wasn’t there.”
Childers now sharing her life story through her new book.
“When I retired, I was looking for a way to remember all the great and unlikely experiences I had so I started writing down just the stories,” said Childers.
Stories that are unlike many.
“I was a really good shot growing up my daddy taught me how to shoot a can off a post, but I was a skier, I was an athletic person, I had been on a rifle team in high school, I could ride horses,” said Childers. “I could do all these things that were an integral part of protecting someone like the children of Jacqueline and John Kennedy.”
Her stories are inspiring generation after generation.
“Many people my age are buying them for their daughters or for their granddaughters with the idea that you can’t be scared of what life gives you, you need to grab it and do it scared and get out there,” said Childers.
Childers sharing words of advice for young women.
“Seek out the unlikely, seek the things that are unpredictable, but be willing to do whatever it takes,” said Childers.
And she hopes women continue paving the way for each other.
“Have the shoulders for more people to stand on down the line,” said Childers.