| Susie P. Gonzalez | 210-999-8406 | susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu |
John Glenn, Former Astronaut and Senator, to Present Trinity University’s Spring 2003 Distinguished Lecture |
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Mr. Glenn is widely viewed as a modern-day hero for his lifetime dedicated to military aviation, space exploration, and service to his country. In addition to talking about his space career, he is expected to discuss his views on education and public service. In 1959, with a dramatic space-race rivalry between the United States and Russia intensifying, Mr. Glenn was chosen as one of the original NASA Mercury astronauts and in 1962, he became the first American to orbit the earth in the Friendship 7 spacecraft. He flew five hours, circling the earth three times. The mission was marked with fears about the safety of the rocket’s unsecured heat shield and landing bag, but Mr. Glenn maintained a cool professionalism in his radio voice from deep space, winning the respect and hearts of millions of Americans. He returned to a hero’s welcome. Mr. Glenn, who was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1943 and flew 59 combat missions during World War II, holds the Air Medal with 18 Clusters for his combat service and has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on six occasions. He is the recipient of numerous other honors, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Mr. Glenn retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel in 1965, becoming a business executive with Royal Crown Cola and serving first as a member of the board of directors and then as president of Royal Crown International. During this time, he took an active part in Democratic politics and early environmental protection efforts in Ohio. In 1974, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, carrying all 88 counties in Ohio. He was re-elected in 1980 with the largest margin of votes in Ohio history. He continued to serve and made history by being the first popularly elected senator from Ohio to win four consecutive terms. He retired from the Senate in 1998. Mr. Glenn returned to space from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7, 1998, as a member of NASA's Shuttle STS-95 Discovery mission. After training diligently and easily passing the battery of physical tests before flight, Mr. Glenn, at 77 years old, became the oldest man ever to fly in space, and while there conducted medical tests to study the effects of zero-gravity on the aging body. During that mission, he made 134 Earth orbits in 213 Currently, Mr. Glenn heads the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University. His autobiography John Glenn: A Memoir (1999) recalls his remarkable life and journey through the Canyon of Heroes. He continues to serve as a frequent spokesman for educating young people about space science. Mr. Glenn recently received the National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime achievement, one of the Smithsonian Institution’s highest awards. He is the 2000 recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Public Service's Jefferson Award in recognition of his service as an elected official. Mr. Glenn has been married to Anna (Annie) Margaret Castor since 1943. They have a son, Dave, and a daughter, Lyn, and two grandchildren. Doors to Laurie Auditorium will open to the public at 6:45 p.m. Audience members are asked to enter through Doors 2-6. Trinity faculty, staff, and students may enter through Door 4 as early as 6:30 p.m. with a valid University identification card. The Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible by an endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. Brown of San Antonio. For more information, call the office of public relations at (210) 999-8406. |
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Last updated on January 8, 2003 by the Office of Public Relations |
Jan.
8, 2003 – John Glenn, known for illustrious careers
as both a NASA astronaut and a U.S. senator from Ohio, will share stories
of his life and times in a free public lecture at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,
Feb. 4, at Laurie Auditorium on the campus of Trinity University. His
presentation is part of the University’s Distinguished Lecture Series.