By T. R. Shaw, Jr.
New
Year’s Eve has always been bittersweet.
It represents the end of another year; another trip around the sun, that
we humans measure in our lives by. It’s
sad because we may not have accomplished all we wanted to. A New Year offers hope, new challenges and
excitement that the next year will be even greater.
Annually,
media outlets look back on the famous and infamous people we’ve lost in the
past year. We honor and recognize high
profile public life. Some we profoundly
mourn, others not so much.
Many
of those departed celebrities touched us in various ways. Some through music, the movies and pop
culture; others through bold leadership and courageous acts. Some deaths were expected, some were tragic,
but they’ve all left their mark on us.
On
December 8, 2016 we lost John Glenn, my first true American hero growing
up. I was astounded to realize he was 95 years
old. It seemed he was immortal.
Glenn
was one of the original “Mercury 7” Astronauts, all of whom deserve hero
status. While he was the third American
in space, he became the first to orbit the earth on February 20, 1962 in Friendship 7, taking the first bold step
into space exploration.
If
you’ve never seen the movie The Right
Stuff, based on the book by Tom Wolfe which chronicles our first steps in
space I urge you do so. The film takes a
little literary and comedic license and won four Academy Awards. I watched it again the night Glenn died, it
was my way of mourning. Glenn definitely
had The Right Stuff!
While
Alan Shepard became the first American into space and Gordon Cooper was the
last to fly solo completing 22 orbits in the Mercury program, it was Glenn who
captured the world’s attention and became the best known representative of
America’s space program. He was the hero we needed at the time.
In
the post-World War II Cold War era with the Soviet Union, America was in a
heated “space race” with the goal of gaining the high ground of outer space and
the moon. President John F. Kennedy
didn’t mince words when he declared we are going to the moon before the decade
was over and we did. His admonition
created and inspired a generation of achievers, thinkers, and doers like no
other generation before them. Going to
the moon became a “Team America” effort which touched hundreds of industries
and disciplines. The Mercury 7 astronauts
were the “new pioneers” in a dangerous and complex effort to explore the
unknown.
Glenn, a decorated
Marine, “All-American” combat and test pilot from WWII and Korea, became the
charismatic face of America’s greatest venture.
Glenn was an inspiration to a new generation of Americans, including the
present NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden who followed in his footsteps. Bolden graduated from the Naval Academy in
1968, became a Marine aviator and test pilot like Glenn and eventually made his
way into the Astronaut corps flying four Space Shuttle Missions, one of which
launched the Hubble Telescope. In 2009
Bolden became the first Astronaut and African-American, to head NASA and is
presently laying the ground work to “Occupy Mars.”
Following
his space career, Glenn entered politics and represented his home state of Ohio
as a U. S. Senator. His political career
included a great deal of political sparring and an unsuccessful bid for
President, but it would have likely tarnished his image as an American Hero.
In
his final act of courage, Glenn became the oldest human to fly in space in
October 1998 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery
at the age of 77. While some ridiculed
it as a publicity stunt and political favor, it was a fitting tribute to
America’s Astronaut and the pinnacle of an amazing career and life, solidifying
his place in history.
One
commentator recently, said there will never be an American hero greater than
John Glenn. I’ve got to agree. While others have made great contributions to
our society and mankind, Glenn will always be known as America’s Astronaut and
true pioneer. He set the standard of
what an astronaut and hero should be and lived his life accordingly.
The world needs
more John Glenn’s in the future. Those
with the courage and vision to face danger and explore the cosmos. Space is not the Final Frontier!
Godspeed
John Glenn, your Mission is complete!
T. R. Shaw Jr. is CEO of Shaw
Communication in Battle Creek, Michigan.
