[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO JOHN GLENN AND RECOGNIZING THE JOHN GLENN COLUMBUS 
                         INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor an American hero, a 
former marine, a former astronaut, a former U.S. Senator, and a friend, 
John Glenn. I also wish to celebrate renaming Port Columbus 
International Airport, Port Columbus, the John Glenn Columbus 
International Airport.
  John Glenn is a former Marine Corps aviator and veteran of both the 
Second World War and the Korean war. He became the first American to 
orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962. After retirement from his 
position at NASA, John Glenn served as a member of the U.S. Senate, 
representing his home State of Ohio from 1974 until 1999.
  John Glenn is the last surviving member of a group of military test 
pilots known as the Mercury Seven, who participated in the early stages 
of space exploration in the United States. Glenn was one of America's 
first astronauts whom NASA selected to fly the Project Mercury 
spacecraft. He would later return to space in 1998, becoming the oldest 
person to go into space. In the same year of his return to space, John 
Glenn helped found the John Glenn Institute of Public Service and 
Public Policy at the Ohio State University which recently has grown and 
expanded to become the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. It is one 
of the best public policy colleges in the country, and I am honored to 
serve on the advisory board. I have seen firsthand how his legacy is 
helping to create future leaders.
  Port Columbus is one of the most important economic resources for 
Central Ohio. Port Columbus provides more than 33,000 jobs and has an 
annual economic output of $3.7 billion. Port Columbus serves nearly 6.8 
million passengers each year. It is fitting that this important 
landmark be renamed to honor John Glenn, someone who has contributed so 
much to the aerospace and aviation industry.
  I am honored to recognize John Glenn and the John Glenn Columbus 
International Airport, and I congratulate all who were involved in this 
accomplishment.

                          ____________________