F. Kennedy, who then was running for president. The security guy was from the Secret Service. And Jim Doyle, well, he was the son of the leader of the movement to instead draft Adlai Stevenson as the Democratic nominee.

Jim looked at his father, who signaled it was OK to go along.

He was taken to a small room backstage where he could hear Kennedy speaking, could hear the muted cheers of the audience, could feel the twist of his own nerves. Finally, Kennedy walked in and sat down.

He knew the boy played baseball, shortstop. He called him "Jimmy," tousled his hair - hoping to make an impression on the father, though it was the boy who was smitten.

"My memory is we talked for hours," Doyle said. "Now that I'veseen it from this perspective, we probably talked for 30 seconds or something."

Today, Jim Doyle is governor, holding a seat his father once sought. His victory in 2002, ending 16 years of Republican control, again stamped the family name on the Democratic Party, which his parents helped bring back to life after World War II.

To some, the conclusion may seem like a predictable one. But the road from there to here was anything but a straight line.

The family lived in a tight neighborhood on Madison's near west side, within throwing distance of a park.

"I was probably like most everyone else," Doyle said. "My life revolved around sports and school and church and friends."

Really, though, the family revolved around politics.

Jim Doyle, now 60, was born in Washington, D.C., where