Godspeed, John Glenn, 1921-2016

John Glenn signals all is well during training for his return to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998.

Cleveland, Ohio – John H. Glenn – aviator, astronaut, U.S. Senator, has flown west, age 95. He died Dec. 8, 2016, surrounded by family, in Columbus, Ohio.

His remarkable career is the stuff of legend. His All-American, straight-arrow, clean-cut character was genuine. His lifelong freckles and boyish smile charmed a nation during the anxious, early days of the Space Race – and for decades after. 

When John Glenn made the first U.S. orbital flight on Feb. 20, 1962, a lot of Americans vicariously rode with him in the tiny Friendship 7 capsule. Only later did the public learn of the challenges of that trip into space, and his calm, purposeful demeanor throughout made the achievement more extraordinary. Thirty-six years later, Americans again eagerly followed Glenn’s return to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as a 77-year-old – heartening seniors and demonstrating to youth that age alone is no barrier to realizing one’s dreams.

The end of his life was inevitable, but still saddens those of us who regard the Mercury Seven astronauts – of which Glenn was the last survivor – as American heroes: selected as the nation’s most capable (and enthusiastic) candidates to tame the final frontier. More astronauts followed, no less heroic, developing our spacefaring skills, landing us on the moon, and helping make outer space habitable – but the Mercury pioneers will always have a special place in hearts that raced at any news of the early U.S. manned space program.

In Ohio alone, there are many tributes to keep the memory of John Glenn alive. Some that come to mind: Col. John H. Glenn Highway, near Dayton; NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland; John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University; and John Glenn Columbus International Airport. But his true monument is his role inspiring several generations of young people to public service, his example of a life well and thoughtfully lived, and his appeal to people of all ages that opened their minds to consider the possibilities of a career tied to aerospace.