OHIO STATE EXTENDS JOHN GLENN EXHIBIT THROUGH MARCH 2000

   COLUMBUS -- During his lifetime, Ohio native John Herschel Glenn Jr. has completed many missions as a Marine pilot, astronaut and senator -- all along the way remaining a hero to millions of Americans young and old.

   The Ohio State University Libraries and the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State invite the public to come and relive a part of American history through the eyes of John Glenn.

   The exhibit A Tribute to Public Service: The Many Missions of John Glenn, currently on display at the Philip Sills Exhibit Hall in Ohio State’s Main Library, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall, through March 2000, tells the life story of a young man raised in New Concord, Ohio, who grows up to be the first American to orbit the Earth.

   On Oct. 8, Glenn archivist Jeff Thomas had the opportunity to walk Glenn through the exhibit. Glenn’s wife, Annie, has not yet had the chance to see the exhibit of which she too is a part, he added.

   “I had an hour to show Senator Glenn the exhibit, and he really enjoyed it,” Thomas said. “We talked a lot about the Friendship 7 space flight -- the heart monitor tape from his trip and his New York ticker-tape parade. Then there was a large crowd of Ohio State students waiting to ask the senator for his autograph. It was an enjoyable morning.”

   On Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn was launched into space in the Mercury-Atlas, Friendship 7 spacecraft after 11 unsuccessful attempts. During the flight, there was concern at NASA about the guidance system and the loss of the protective heat shield. Glenn orbited the Earth three times and successfully landed despite the problems. After the flight, national celebrations included a speech by Glenn to a joint session of Congress and a ticker-tape parade for him in New York City. President John F. Kennedy ordered NASA not to send Glenn up on another dangerous mission because he was considered too valuable to the space program and to the country to be put at risk.

   The exhibit also includes letters and drawings from school children sent after the Friendship 7 mission and more recent ones sent after Glenn’s return to space in 1998 aboard the Discovery; papers from Glenn’s 24-year Senate career; several awards, including the Collier Trophy for aviation and the Harry S. Truman Award for Public Service; and information on Glenn’s newest endeavor, the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State.

   All of these documents, awards and memorabilia are part of more than 1,346 cubic feet of materials that make up the Glenn archives -- the largest personal collection ever donated to the university, said Thomas. The collection was donated to the university in October 1997 and documents Glenn’s full career.

Contact: Shannon Tippie, University Libraries development officer, at (614) 292-3387, or Jeff Thomas, John Glenn Archives, (614) 688-8429