COURTESY PHOTO
John H. Glenn Jr.
John H. Glenn Jr. was an incredible man. A Marine and a former United States senator, he spent a lifetime scoffing at long odds.
At the age of 40 when other men of his generation cast their eye on predictable, mid-level management jobs in their chosen professions, Glenn climbed into a space capsule with less interior room than a Volkswagen Beetle.
His 1962 earth orbit made history and made Glenn an American household name. Space flight was in its infancy. America trailed the Russians in the race for outer space and Glenn’s orbit, while maybe not death-defying, demanded courage and calmness that made him the envy of fellow Americans.
In 1984, Glenn took on another long shot by running for president of the United States. Ronald Reagan was running for a second term as president that year and the notion that Democrats were going to bring down the man who literally changed the American political landscape was not just a long shot, but sheer folly.
But Glenn, the Marine who blasted off in a rocket, gave it a shot. He came to Lynn in January, 1984 and told 300 people packed into Hibernian Hall that the nation needed to recommit itself to civil rights progress, education and other values that defined the 1960s political landscape.
Glenn’s remarks to his Lynn audience underscored similarities and differences in late-20th century and early-21st century American politics. Civil rights, America’s ability to compete in the global economy and unrest in the Mideast were all topics Glenn touched on in his Lynn campaign stop.
Glenn touted American-made products and warned about committing U.S. troops to resolving international problems. America’s challenges seemed simpler in 1984. The nation’s deep racial division did not seem as hard to span then as it does today. His comments about spiraling unrest in Lebanon seem understated when measured against today’s worries about international terrorism.
Looking backward through history’s fractured lens, John Glenn with his military service and hero status seemed to be the perfect candidate in 1984 to challenge Reagan. But Americans — as Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale found out in the final election — were in no mood that year for 1960s-era Democratic politics.
Reagan’s star would shine for four more years and wane for four more under his successor before Democrats wrestled the presidency away from Republicans. Glenn’s rendezvous with space didn’t end in 1962. At the ripe young age of 77, he took a ride on a space shuttle.
As a footnote, it is interesting to note how Glenn, in an interview, underscored the civility marking conduct on the Senate floor. It’s interesting to think of this man of action respecting decorum. It is equally interesting to wonder what Glenn thought about this year’s presidential election.
John Glenn saw the world through the eyes of a warrior, a space traveler, a politician and ultimately as an American.