A Citrus County retiree had the assignment of a lifetime while working as a police officer in Massachusetts in the 1960s.
Kevin Travis, who was in his early 20’s at the time, was part of a traffic security detail for President John F. Kennedy around the family compound in Hyannis Port for three summers.
“I thought he was a genuine person. He was a very, very intelligent guy,” Travis said. “He knew how to treat people and he was kind to everybody.”
Marine One would deliver the President on the weekends.
“That was his getaway,” he said.
Travis still has old pictures of Kennedy from those days. One shows the President with a group of Kennedy children going to get some ice cream.
Travis said he got to know the Kennedy kids well. They nicknamed him “Kevin the Cop” and if the football went over the fence during one of those famous football games, Travis was there to toss the ball back.
“They were a very close knit group of people. Very close knit,” he said.
Travis didn’t get to talk to the President a lot but the few times they shared a word he said it left a great impression.
“I was glad to be part of it you know,” he said. “He was a hell of a nice guy.”
Travis had one more security detail for the Kennedy family; the summer after President Kennedy was assassinated, but he said things weren't the same.