Through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many lives have been tragically and unfairly cut short.
Whether a family member or loved one, or even a favorite actor or musician, each of us have been touched by the lives lost.
On Tuesday, Ohio lost a woman who inspired and helped many with the passing of Annie Glenn.
Although she was well-known as the wife of famed astronaut and Ohio Senator John Glenn – a role she fully embraced – she was a force for good all on her own.
It speaks volumes about her character that she dedicated much of her life to ensuring that others would be heard.
Her path to becoming an advocate for people with disabilities was rooted in her own experience. She had a severe speech impediment and struggled with an 85% stutter for the first fifty years of her life.
It was difficult for her to verbalize the vast majority of her thoughts, but she was a resilient and creative woman who found ways to communicate.
In the 1970s, she discovered and participated in a program that helped her greatly improve her speech.
She used her newfound voice to raise awareness for others with disabilities, speaking at various engagements and ultimately becoming an adjunct professor of speech pathology at Ohio State.
Most inspiring to many was that Annie always remained honest and vulnerable regarding her disability.
I wasn’t lucky enough to spend time with her personally, but I met plenty of people who knew and loved her through a program I participate in at OSU which sends a cohort of students to Washington, D.C. for a semester as “John Glenn Fellows.”
One student in our cohort, Gabe, often shared with us how Annie Glenn impacted his life.
He grew up in a poor neighborhood in Columbus, in a single-parent home and also struggled with a stutter. He overcame much of the adversity he faced and was admitted on a scholarship to the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State.
During one of the college’s events with The Glenns in attendance, he walked Annie to her seat and talked with her along the way. He shared a bit of his life story and told her that she was his inspiration through much of it.
He said they didn’t need to worry about talking much more because they simply understood each other. Annie teared up, hugged him and told him he inspired her just as much.
Many others who had the privilege of knowing Annie remark upon her humility and kindness, as well.
Annie was beloved by so many not only because of what she did for them, but because she showed them what they can do.
We live in a world where people are constantly shouting to make their opinions heard. When confronted by others with a different opinion, we rarely choose to listen and instead speak over them.
Annie Glenn, though, was a woman who saw speaking as a privilege.
Her life and accomplishments are so worthy of being heard but she focused her efforts on amplifying the voices of others.
There are few people with access to the spotlight she and her husband had, who would instead divert it to others.
Ohio was lucky to have such a strong, kind woman for 100 years. Her death is a loss felt by many, but I’m confident her legacy will live on through the countless people she served and inspired to serve.