Posted on 12/09/2016 1:47:58 PM PST by BenLurkin
To many, theirs was an odd pairing.
As John himself wrote: “We practically grew up in the same playpen. We never knew a time when we didn’t know each other.” (Annie says they were 2 years old when they met.)
But they were different. John was athletic and outgoing while Annie barely spoke, not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because when she did, people often assumed she was either deaf or mentally deficient.
For most of her life, Annie was afflicted with an 85 percent stutter, meaning she would become “hung up on 85 percent of the words she tried to speak, which was a severe handicap,” as John put it.
Those years must have been torture for Annie.
Some of the inconveniences might seem small. John recalled them:
For Annie, stuttering meant not being able to take a taxi because she would have to write out the address and give it to the driver because she couldn’t get the words out. It would be too embarrassing to try to talk about where she wanted to go. Going to the store is a tremendously difficult and frustrating experience when you can’t find what you want and can’t ask the clerk because you are too embarrassed of your stutter.
Others were large. As The Post reported, once her daughter stepped on a nail. As blood gushed out, Annie couldn’t speak well enough to call 911. Instead, she found a neighbor to make the call for her.
She spent the early years of their marriage avoiding the spotlight. While John seemed to enjoy the television cameras, he clearly cared more for her privacy.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Sorry...Glenn acted at defense lawyer when the Clinton Crime Couple (Chelsea was too young to be a criminal back then) was being exposed in the 90’s.I lost every ounce of respect I previously had for him at that point.
Her character in “The Right Stuff” annoyed me to no end.
I admire and respect the man for his service and accomplishments as a pioneer in spaceflight.
He was apparently a faithful and good husband. There is much to be said there.
I totally reject and abhor his politics.
That said, may he rest in peace.
Hm. Didn’t know they had 911 back when they had daughters.
+1
As a fighter pilot in the Korean War John Glenn was, at one time, Ted Williams' (that's Teddy Baseball) wingman.
What a debilitating affliction. Believed that was mostly a childhood problem - and improved with socializing and school. Apparently not. I wonder how common it is today, and treatable with medication and therapy?
I’m interested to know about this, too. WaPo... part of the Fake News Media since day one.
Yeah he definitely went south or maybe I should say left. All those launches must have affected his brain.
Any other afflictions or handicaps bother you?
You called the operator same thing
Yes. I was pointing out the sloppy state of the Fake News Paper called the Washington Post. The smartest people in the world really do need an editor to review their “work”.
“I don’t want Johnson to step one toe in our house! You tell them that Astronaut John Glenn told you to say that!”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9-1-1 says it first started in 1968 and didn’t become widely used until the 70s. By 1989, some Chicago suburbs still didn’t have it (hey, why is that Mr. Community Organizer?).
Don’t know when Florida got it but their daughter would have been grown since she was born in 1947. http://johnglennhome.org/about/annie-glenn/
I worked with 3 men that had this affliction...a brilliant RF Engineer, a Test engineer and a Quality Engineering specialist. It is a tough challenge to overcome. I imagine their childhood years were filled with teasing....but they are good,tough and excelled in their fields.
Thank you for posting this, Ben. How Annie must have suffered is heart breaking, and an astounding recovery for her makes my heart sing. Very moving story.
SHE is the hero.
I know a guy who had a severe stammer. The worst part was the gas mask test in the Army.
Very interesting...thanks for looking it up, bgill.
Heck, I was just poking my finger in the eye of the WaPost!
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