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THREAD - I posted this four years ago, the day after John Glenn left us.
It’s as true now as it was then:
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It’s as true now as it was then:
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“When I was 29 years old and first running for City Council, I had the honor of meeting John and Annie Glenn. I learned a lesson from him the first time I met him that I will never forget....
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“Full of youthful energy, I told him how important it was that young people run for office. Just as I did, young candidates often believe that this is the prime attribute they bring to their campaign. He corrected me....”
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“David," he said politely, but firmly. "There are a lot of offices in politics, and they will all be filled, by people of all ages. I'm not as concerned whether they are young or old, as I am that they be good people, running for the right reasons.”
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And Annie, always at his side,
nodded in full agreement.
He could have let my idle chatter slip by, but he took the time to correct me, and explain why so thoughtfully.
I never forgot it.
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nodded in full agreement.
He could have let my idle chatter slip by, but he took the time to correct me, and explain why so thoughtfully.
I never forgot it.
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When I won a Council seat a number of months later, alongside the great David Crowley (64 when he won his first political office), I learned how right he was.
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And that one explanation made it clear why, well after his travels into space and his years as a Senator, he created the Glenn Institute, to inspire and educate people to dedicate themselves to true public service.
Because that’s what matters most.
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Because that’s what matters most.
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The offices will inevitably be filled, he said. That is not an achievement.
What's needed is for true public servants to fill them.
Boy does our state and nation miss John and Annie Glenn. But there’s no reason we can’t keep learning from them.
END
What's needed is for true public servants to fill them.
Boy does our state and nation miss John and Annie Glenn. But there’s no reason we can’t keep learning from them.
END
