American hero remembered: Godspeed, John Glenn

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John Glenn 1921-2016

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By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The first American to orbit Earth and the longest-serving U.S. senator in Ohio history died Thursday at age 95 at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Godspeed, John Glenn.

“He was a hero in war and a hero in peace,” said George D. Beelen, a former Youngstown State University history professor and Austintown trustee, who was Mahoning County co-chairman of Glenn’s successful U.S. Senate race in 1974. “He was just the most decent human being and so gracious. He related to everybody.”

Glenn bucked the Democratic Party when he ran for Senate in 1974 and had trouble finding people to handle his campaign, said Paul Dutton, who was co-chairman with Beelen.

“They were looking for names in Mahoning County and Trumbull County to serve as his chairmen and no one came forward,” Dutton said. “George Beelen and I helped him, and he won the primary. He carried Mahoning County, which was incredible. After the primary, rather than go with the party, he kept us in charge of all of Northeast Ohio except Cuyahoga and Summit [counties].”

During the 1974 general election, Mahoning delivered Glenn his strongest victory among any county in Ohio.

Beelen and Dutton said Glenn was a friend for life after that.

“It was a great friendship,” Beelen said.

The praise and remembrances of Glenn came from local and statewide political officials shortly after his passing Thursday.

“He was such an inspiration to me not only as a fellow veteran, aviator and statesman, but for his integrity and genuineness in dealing with people he aimed to help,” said state Rep. John Boccieri of Poland, D-59th. “I vividly remember him speaking to me after first winning a seat in the Ohio Legislature about public service and how his words inspired me toward humility.”

Glenn flew more than 120 combat missions in World War II and the Korean War. He also served in the Marines after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The decorated war veteran became a national hero when he took his famous flight up to space in 1962 as the third American to make the trip, despite 10 postponements.

Glenn unsuccessfully ran for president in 1984, and retired in 1988 from the Senate. Also, in 1998, he took his final trip as an astronaut to orbit Earth aboard the shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to fly in space at age 77.

Harry Meshel, a former Ohio Senate president and Ohio Democratic Party chairman, said he spent a lot of time with Glenn, including traveling to New Hampshire with him during his 1984 presidential bid.

“He was a dear friend and a real gentleman,” Meshel said. “People were proud to meet him because he was a big hero. He was fun to be with. He was obviously a patriot, but most importantly he was so honest. He was an American hero, but he never showed off.”

Glenn was also very soft-spoken, Meshel said, which hurt his presidential bid.

“I told him to pound his fist on the podium to make a point,” Meshel said. “He finally did it and it was well-received.”

Meshel said one time he was in Washington, D.C., to see Glenn and was ready to take a commercial flight back to Ohio, but the senator said he was flying home, too, and asked him to join him.

“I was on board when he flew and I fell asleep,” Meshel said. “When we landed, he asked if I was worried about him flying me. I said, ‘If I was afraid with you flying, I’d never fly again.’ He was a legendary pilot.”

Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, said, “Statesmen like John Glenn come along once in a lifetime. From his service as a Marine pilot to his pioneering space expeditions to his expansive career in public service: Sen. Glenn truly did it all.”

Schiavoni added: “John Glenn was an Ohio legend and a true American hero. We could not be more proud of the legacy he leaves our great state.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, said, “I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to spend some time with Sen. Glenn, and I will cherish those moments for the rest of my life. Today is a sad day for the state of Ohio and for the United States of America. John Glenn was an American hero, and his life and legacy will never be forgotten.”

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, praised Glenn as “Ohio’s ultimate hometown hero.”

He added: “As we bow our heads and share our grief with his beloved wife, Annie, we must also turn to the skies to salute his remarkable journeys and his long years of service to our state and nation.”

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area, said, “I’m grateful to have known him, to have partnered with him on projects and legislation in Congress, and to have worked with him and served on his advisory board at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University.”

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, said, “What made John Glenn a great senator was the same quality that made him a great astronaut and an iconic American hero: He saw enormous untapped potential in the nation he loved, and he had faith that America could overcome any challenge.”