[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S3151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         MAX ROWE PAYS TRIBUTE TO OUR AMERICAN HERO, JOHN GLENN

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to share with my 
colleagues an article written by Max Rowe. On November 8, 1998, Mr. 
Rowe, a guest columnist for the Springfield Journal-Register, wrote an 
article paying tribute to John Glenn entitled, ``Glenn is a hero for 
the ages.''
  Mr. President, I would like to speak for a brief moment about Mr. 
Rowe and some of his accomplishments. Max attended the University of 
Illinois where he received his B.A. and law degree (J.D.). Following 
his academic career at the University of Illinois, he furthered his 
education by pursuing a Master of Business Administration from the 
University of Chicago. After completing his education, Max went on to 
work for the Kirkland & Ellis law firm where he dedicated over 30 years 
of his life to his true passion, the practice of law. In 1995 Max was 
elected to the Illinois Senior Hall of Fame, and he volunteers part-
time at the Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. On the side, he is 
a management consultant and writes for the Journal-Register.
  I believe Max's life experiences inspired him to pay tribute to John 
Glenn, a man whom he respects so much, and a man who will keep 
withstanding the test of time, much like himself. John Glenn, one of 
his all-time heroes and someone I have had the honor to serve with in 
the Senate, is an inspiration to so many people in so many ways. To 
some he is a husband, a father, a grandfather, an astronaut, a United 
States Senator, or a Presidential candidate, but to all of us he is a 
true American hero.
  Mr. President, I ask that the full text of Max Rowe's article, 
``Glenn is a hero for the ages,'' be printed in the Record.
  The article follows:

         [From the Springfield Journal-Register, Nov. 8, 1998]

                      Glenn is a Hero for the Ages

                             (By Max Rowe)

       One of my all-time heroes is former and present astronaut 
     John Glenn, who is now 77 years old and has just completed a 
     mission with six other astronauts on the space shuttle 
     discovery.
       We senior citizens and those of you over 50 remember well 
     when John Glenn blasted off Cape Canaveral into Earth orbit 
     on Friendship 7 almost 37 years ago. In that five-hour 
     mission he would orbit the Earth three times at an altitude 
     of 100 miles, traveling at over 17,000 mph.
       From start to finish the venerable and trusted Walter 
     Cronkite covered the flight on our TVs, using words only, as 
     there were no sophisticated cameras at Cape Canaveral or on 
     board Glenn's space ship that could cover the actual flight. 
     At lift-off Cronite yelled, ``Go, baby!''
       On board Friendship 7, John Glenn had only one simple, 
     hand-held camera to snap shots out of his window. In Glenn's 
     interviews after his splashdown, he kept using the word 
     ``pleasant'' to describe his experience with zero gravity on 
     his flight and his views of Earth. He is quoted as saying, 
     ``This free-floating feeling, I don't know how to describe it 
     except that it is very pleasant. It's an interesting feeling. 
     Sunset at this altitude is tremendous. I've never seen 
     anything like this. It was a truly beautiful, beautiful 
     sight.''
       Before Glenn's 1962 spaceflight, two Russians had orbited 
     Earth, Glenn helped us catch up with (and eventually surpass) 
     the Russians in spaceflight experience and technology.
       On the afternoon of Oct. 29, 1998, I sat before my TV 
     waiting through two short delays for the launch. At 1:20 p.m. 
     ``successful lift-off'' put John Glenn and six other 
     astronauts into an almost nine-day space flight on Discovery. 
     What a contrast to his 1962 flight! Discovery has about a 
     dozen high-tech cameras to keep NASA and us informed of every 
     phase of the flight and thousands of controls and pieces of 
     complicated, marvelous equipment to record everything from 
     start to finish. At last we will learn, among other things, 
     the effect of spaceflight on an older person and on the aging 
     process.
       John Glenn has been a role model for us all his life, 
     serving with great distinction in World War II as a Marine 
     combat flier on 59 missions. He has been decorated with 20 
     metals, including six Distinguished Flying Crosses and the 
     Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
       He married his childhood sweetheart in 1943 and has two 
     children and two grandsons.
       Glenn will retire in January 1999 after serving as a U.S. 
     Senator from his home State of Ohio for 24 years. He has 
     proven it is possible to be a happy and devoted family man in 
     spite of living for so many years with fame and in the 
     spotlight of Washington, DC.
       I hope every American is as proud and thrilled as I was as 
     John Glenn and his six companions headed off into space on 
     their historic mission. John Glenn's return to space is 
     important to all us senior citizens and to people over 50 
     years young, who will soon join our rapidly growing senior 
     group. He is verifying that we are not ``over the hill'' and 
     that with proper physical, emotional and mental activity, we 
     still have many satisfying and useful years to live.
       Before heading into space, Glenn spent over 500 hours in 
     rigorous physical training to prepare himself for his very 
     demanding space journey. Those of you who have been reading 
     my earlier columns will remember that one of my 
     recommendations for living to age 104 is regular, vigorous 
     exercise. For most of us seniors, a 30-minute daily brisk 
     walk will do wonders for our health and happiness.
       The worldwide interest in this spaceflight will do much to 
     heighten interest in space travel for the rest of us and help 
     NASA's future programs and funding. Let's you and I make a 
     date to fly to Mars in the year 2010!
       God bless you and keep you safe, John Glenn. You truly have 
     all ``The Right Stuff!''

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