|
Her late husband of 73 years, John Glenn, was
the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times
in 1962. He was one of the famed Mercury Seven astronauts
immortalized in Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff," later made
into a movie.
John Glenn, who later served as a senator from Ohio, died in
2016 at age 95.
"It is impossible to imagine John Glenn without Annie, and Annie
without John. This is a very sad day for all Ohioans," Ohio
Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement. "Annie Glenn was
certainly our most beloved Ohioan. She represented all that is
good about our country."
She was born Anna Margaret Castor in 1920 and grew up in New
Concord, Ohio, about 70 miles (113 km) east of Columbus, where
she met her future husband in junior high school, the Cleveland
Dispatch said.
Annie, as everyone knew her, lived in the shadow of her famous
husband, but later became an inspiration for people with
disabilities, the newspaper said. She overcame chronic
stuttering that had afflicted her for years.
Annie Glenn had wanted to become a teacher, but pursued music as
she could sing without stuttering, news media reported.
In 2009, Ohio State University awarded her an honorary doctorate
in public service for her humanitarian work, the university said
in a release. She had been an adjunct professor in the school's
Speech Pathology Department.
Ohio State in a release that a "virtual" service would be held
online on June 6 on the university's internet page.
She is survived by a daughter, Carolyn, and son David.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
