John Glenn's remarkable life

Enduring marriage

Glenn married his childhood sweetheart, Anna "Annie" Margaret Castor, in 1943. She survives him. He bought her a diamond engagement ring in 1942 for $125 and it was never replaced.

Fighter pilot

Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean conflict, flying 149 missions. He flew with baseball legend Ted Williams and his plane was riddled with bullets when he flew at low altitude.

Test pilot

As a military test pilot in 1957, Glenn broke the transcontinental air speed record, bursting from Los Angeles to New York City in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds. His Crusader jet averaged 725 miles per hour.

An American first

In the canyon of heroes

A total of 3,474 tons of paper were swept up after Glenn's ticker tape parade in New York in March of 1962 — more than any parade since the one marking the end of World War II.

Too important to fly?

It has been said that President John F. Kennedy felt he could not risk sending Glenn into space a second time. Said Glenn in a 1995 interview: "Kennedy had indicated to NASA that he would just as soon that I was not assigned to another flight. Now, whether it was because of the impact if I got killed on the second flight would that reflect politically, I never knew."

Longtime senator

Hat in the ultimate ring

Glenn ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 1984 but lost in the primaries to former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Oldest man in space

Glenn returned to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1998 at age 77. He was the subject of experiments on geriatrics and microgravity.

Last of his kind