John Glenn will speak to sold out crowd at convocation
Sara Pollock / Reporter
John Glenn, a former NASA astronaut and U.S. Senator from
Ohio will be the featured speaker during Elon
University’s Spring Convocation for Honors.
Today at 4:30 in the Koury Center, Glenn will receive an
honorary doctor of laws degree. This tribute will recognize
him for his contribution to philanthropy as well as his
academic achievement. He will also speak at the dedication
ceremony of the new Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center at
1:30 p.m. A question and answer session with Glenn in Whitley
Auditorium will begin at 2:30 p.m.
Glenn is best known for circling the Earth three times on
Feb. 20, 1962 aboard the Friendship seven space capsule. This
mission made him the first American in orbit. While on board
a systems failure caused him to pilot the capsule, which was
moving at over 17,000 miles per hour, into the Atlantic
Ocean. Nine days later, 4 million spectators gathered in the
streets of Manhattan to welcome him home.
Before working with NASA, the Ohio native joined the Marine
Corps in 1943, flying 122 combat missions in World War II and
Korea. He has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on
six occasions for achievements in aviation and heroism in
aerial combat. Other recipients of the award include Charles
A. Lindberg, Commander Richard Byrd and Amelia Earhart.
In 1974 Glenn was elected to the U.S Senate as a
representative of Ohio. He served his state for 24 years.
Glenn returned to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery
in 1998 at the age of 77. Thirty-six years after his first
trip, Glenn was accompanied by six other astronauts and
became the oldest person to travel in space. The following
year, NASA renamed its Cleveland Center the John H. Glenn
Research Center at Lewis Field.
Currently, Glenn runs the John Glenn Institute for Public
Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University. This
institute pledges to engage more students in public service
and enhance its quality as well as to create high-quality
policy research regarding education, criminal justice and the
environment. He has also published his autobiography,
“John Glenn: A Memoir.”
Glenn is also the chairman of the National Commission on
Service Learning, which focuses on incorporating service with
classroom learning in public schools.
Contact Sara Pollock at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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