Anna Margaret Castor Glenn
Anna Margaret Castor (Annie) was born on February 17, 1920, to Homer and Margaret Castor of Columbus, Ohio. In 1923, Dr. Castor and his family moved to New Concord, Ohio, where they became friends with the family of John Hershel Glenn, Sr. Annie and John Glenn, Jr., were childhood playmates, then high school sweethearts, and after John received his commission in the Marine Corps, they were married on April 6, 1943.
Like John Glenn, Annie attended New Concord public schools and continued her education at Muskingum College. An accomplished organist, she received a BS degree in 1942, with majors in music and education. Her parents, Dr. and Mrs. H. W. Castor, had graduated from Muskingum College in 1919 and 1917, respectively. Her sister, Mrs. James (Jane) Hosey, is a 1944 Muskingum graduate.
Like her father, Annie Glenn faced a severe stuttering problem all her life. In 1973, she completed an intensive program at the Communications Research Institute at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and although she did not consider herself “cured,” she spoke freely and gave speeches at public events.
Always active in community service, Annie Glenn had a lifelong interest in programs for children, the elderly, and the handicapped. She was a member of the Advisory Board for the National Center for Survivors of Childhood Abuse and served on the Advisory Board for the National First Ladies’ Library. She served on the National Deafness and other Communication Disorders Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health. She was also a member of the Advisory Panel of the Central Ohio Speech and Hearing Association.
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In 1983, she received the first national award of the American Speech and Hearing Association for “providing an inspiring model for people with communicative disorders.” In 1987, the National Association for Hearing and Speech Action honored her by asking her to present the first annual Annie Glenn Award for achieving distinction despite a communication disorder. Mr. James Earl Jones was the first recipient of the Annie Glenn Award.
With her husband, Annie Glenn served on the Board of Trustees of Muskingum College and traveled with him on most of his trips to Ohio, lending a hand as navigator and radio operator when they fly in their own plane. Her other memberships have included the Ohio Board of Child Abuse, the Board of Columbus (Ohio) Speech and Hearing Center, and the Society of Sponsors. In private life, Annie Glenn enjoyed family activities, especially with her two grandsons. She had a long-standing interest in American folk arts and crafts and collected quilts and other needlework as well as historical household items from the small towns of Ohio. She passed away on May 19, 2020 at the age of 100.