NEWS

Glenn will always be a part of childhood home

Adrian Burns
USA TODAY NETWORK-OHIO

New Concord was the center of his universe, and he their shining star.

When John Glenn set a record in 1958 for a supersonic flight between California and New York, he made sure to navigate the flight path near New Concord, where a sonic boom told the town he was passing by. When in 1998, at age 77, Glenn became the oldest human to go to space, he carried the banner of his New Concord-based alma mater,  Muskingum University, into space with him. When a new president arrived at Muskingum this year, the 95-year-old Glenn visited to meet in person with her.

For Glenn, who died Dec. 8, New Concord was like a force of gravity - always keeping the space pioneer and former U.S. Senator in its orbit. And for the town of 1,700, Glenn was more than just the hometown boy done good, but rather the hometown boy who did good, kept doing good and who never really stopped feeling like a neighbor.

"Last year my mom had me tweet John happy birthday," said Audge Crawford , a New Concord resident whose father learned the plumbing and heating business from John Glenn's father, who had a business in town. Crawford's 94-year-old mother now lives in Florida, but when his parents and Glenn were young, they were all friends, he said.

"My father and him played football together, and worked together in the summers," Crawford said. "There were so many hundreds of people he touched"

Lifelong New Concord resident James Taylor attended Glenn's senate inauguration in 1974 after the family invited him.

"Annie's dad was my dentist, John's dad was my plumber, I'd mow their yards," said James, 84, whose father was mayor of New Concord in the 1960s. "He was super nice, down to earth and would talk to anyone."

Annie Castor and John Glenn married in 1943. Annie, 96, survives him.

Even when Glenn was a well-established politician in Washington, James said knew he could use small-town back channels to reach the astronaut and senator.

"If I wanted to get a message to him I'd go to Annie's mother's house and leave a note and she would make sure John got it," Taylor said.

Glenn's stature in New Concord and at Muskingum University didn't just come from his accomplishments, or only from Glenn having grown up in the town, said Hal Burlingame, a New Concord native and the chairman of the Muskingum University board of trustees. Throughout his life, Glenn continuously made a point to routinely visit New Concord and the university, he said.

"This was a touchstone for him, he always did come back," Burlingame said.

Glenn could be seen fairly regularly on campus, keeping up with things as an active trustee, Burlingame said. And he was also fond of incorporating Muskingum into important events, such as announcing his senate campaign and later retirement at press conferences held on campus, as well as attending various university events and functions.

Glenn graduated from New Concord High School, now John Glenn High School, in 1939. He studied engineering at Muskingum but did not graduate, instead leaving to join the military following the Pearl Harbor attack. He was awarded a bachelor's degree by the university in 1962. He served as a university trustee from 1968 until his death.

Susan Hasseler, who became Muskingum's president in July, met with Glenn in the fall to discuss the university's direction, and was most struck by his "intensity of purpose," she said.

"He wanted every student at Muskingum to have a sense of public service," Hasseler said.

Glenn could effectively express his passions with nearly anyone, young or old, said Dave Costic, 58, who grew up in Cleveland and has lived in New Concord for two years. Costic heard Glenn speak at Ohio State University's 2009 spring commencement ceremony and along with his son had a chance to meet Glenn.

"He had everyone thinking, and he had the crowd laughing," Costic said. "He was connecting with people who were 20 years old and people who were 50 years old."

Costic still fondly remembers how excited his son was to get a photo with Glenn.

"It's a sad day," he said. "I had tears in my eyes on the way home yesterday."

Glenn even inspired older generations by going into space as a senior citizen, said former New Concord Mayor Greg Adams.

“Folks closer to John Glenn’s generation saw him go up in space again,” Adams said. “You could make the case that he inspired folks across multiple generations throughout his life.”

For townspeople old enough to remember, however, the parade in New Concord following Glenn's orbit of the earth in 1962 is among their most treasured memories of Glenn.

"I remember as a child when he went into orbit, and then they had the parade, it was a big thing," said New Concord resident Patricia Hardy. "My sister was a majorette."

Taylor remembers how busy his father, the mayor, was leading up to the parade - taking phone calls from governors around the country who had asked to send floats. Everyone wanted to be a part of the festivities, and those from out of the area had to park as far as five miles away to attend the parade, Taylor said.

"It was going to be a very big parade because this is a little town," he said. "We had about 100,000 people here."

Buick even sent 25 convertibles to the town for Glenn and local dignitaries to ride in, Taylor said. They led the parade.

Crawford said he remembers weaving in and out of the parade crowd to sell a booklet on Glenn's life.

"I made $21," he said.

But while Glenn is gone, he won't soon be forgotten in New Concord. Glenn's childhood home was moved to the center of town and is now a museum that opened in 2002. The high school in New Concord is named after Glenn, and Muskingum University has a scholarship named after him, along with a gym building.

But most of all Glenn's spirit of exploration, achievement, public service and of community is expected to live on in the hearts of those in the area.

"His legacy will go on forever," Crawford said.

USA Today Network-Ohio's Kate Snyder contributed to this report.