Annie Glenn

Annie Glenn (born Anna Margaret Castor on February 17, 1920) is the wife of former astronaut and Senator John Glenn.

Private life

Annie was born in 1920 to Homer and Margaret Castor of Columbus, Ohio. In 1923, Dr. Castor and his family moved to New Concord, Ohio, where they became friends with the family of John Hershel Glenn, Sr. Annie and John Glenn, Jr., were childhood playmates, then high school sweethearts, and after John received his commission in the Marine Corps, they were married on April 6, 1943. The Glenns have two children, David and Carolyn.

Education

Like John Glenn, Annie attended New Concord public schools and continued her education at Muskingum College. An accomplished organist, she received a BS degree in 1942, with majors in music and art.

Public service

peech impediment

Like her father, Annie Glenn has had a severe stuttering problem all her life. In 1973, she completed an intensive program at the Communications Research Institute at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and although she does not consider herself "cured", she now speaks freely and gives speeches at public events.

In 1983, she received the first national award of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for "providing an inspiring model for people with communicative disorders." In 1987, the association honored her by asking her to present the first annual Annie Glenn Award for achieving distinction despite a communication disorder. Actor James Earl Jones was the first recipient.

She was inducted into the National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame. [www.nsastutter.org/pdfs/newsletters/m_478.pdf NSA 24th Annual Conference (2007), pp.56-57] ]

Community service

Always active in community service, Annie Glenn has had a lifelong interest in programs for children, the elderly, and the handicapped. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Center for Survivors of Childhood Abuse and serves on the Advisory Board for the National First Ladies' Library. She serves on the National Deafness and other Communication Disorders Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health. She is also a member of the Advisory Panel of the Central Ohio Speech and Hearing Association.

Memberships

Organizations of which she is a member include:
*The Ohio Board of Child Abuse
*The Board of Columbus (Ohio) Speech and Hearing Center
*The Society of Sponsors.
*The Board of Trustees of Muskingum College
*The Advisory Panel of the Central Ohio Speech and Hearing Association
*The Advisory Board for the National Center for Survivors of Childhood Abuse
*The Board for the National First Ladies' Library
*The National Deafness and other Communication Disorders Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health.

In the movies

Annie Glenn was played by Mary Jo Deschanel in the 1983 movie "The Right Stuff". In the film, they highlighted her stuttering problem, particularly in a scene involving then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during the buildup to John Glenn's Friendship 7 flight.

References