Annie Glenn, widow of astronaut John Glenn, dies aged 100

[gary]

Originally Posted by Sydney Morning Herald

Columbus, Ohio: Annie Glenn, wife of the late astronaut and US senator John Glenn who overcame a childhood stutter to become an advocate for others with speech disorders, has died of complications from COVID-19. She was 100.

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John Glenn died in 2016 following an extraordinary career that included breaking the transcontinental speed record, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth and serving as a Democratic senator from Ohio. At the time of his death, he and Annie had been married 73 years.

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The relationship was "the stuff of fairy tales and one of the great love stories of all time", Dale Butland, the senator's former speechwriter and chief of staff, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"During World War II, the Korean War and two flights into outer space, Annie patiently waited for her John to come home," Butland said. "Since December of 2016, John's been patiently waiting for his Annie. Today, they're both where they always wanted to be: together - for all eternity."

Annie Glenn was thrust into the spotlight in 1962, when her husband made his famous space flight. She shied away from the media attention because of a severe stutter.

Later, she underwent an intensive program at the Communications Research Institute at Hollins College, now Hollins University, in Roanoke, Virginia, that gave her the skills to control her stutter and to speak in public.

By the time her husband, then 77, returned to space in 1998 aboard the space shuttle Discovery, Annie showed she had become comfortable in her public role when she acknowledged that she had reservations about his second flight.

"John had announced one year before that he was going to retire as a senator, so I was looking forward to having him as my own because I had given him to our government for 55 years," she told a NASA interviewer.

Her career in advocacy for those with communication disorders included service on the advisory boards of numerous child abuse and speech and hearing organisations. The Annie Glenn Award was created to honour individuals who overcome a communication disorder.

Story here :-
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-a...20-p54upx.html

[Startrek (Martin)]

A remarkable woman who was the epitome of love and devotion to her husband John Glenn, who also was an extraordinary human being.
Young people should read about both their lives, great examples of love, dedication and personal achievement !!
Thanks for posting , I had no idea Annie had passed