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ARTIFACTS COLLECTION SUBGROUP: MEMENTOS CATEGORY SCOPE & CONTENT The Mementos Category consists of a broad array of keepsake type materials that do not fit within the scope of the other sixteen categories within the artifacts collection. Dating from 1944 to 2005, the one hundred and eighty artifacts in the category document all aspects of John Glenn's adult life. Due to its keepsake nature, the category contains numerous noteworthy artifacts originating from the most important events in the various careers of John Glenn. Significant mementos dating from John Glenn's twenty-three years as an aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps include the navigation plotting board from a F4U Corsair he flew during World War II, his map case from the Korean War, and various navigational devices Glenn used as a test pilot in the 1950s. Also included is a hand-drawn banner from the parade held in New Concord, Ohio to honor Glenn for his "Project Bullet" record-breaking transcontinental flight in 1957. The NASA sub-category contains a number of notable items from John Glenn's Friendship 7 space flight in 1962. Included in the collection are commemorative pieces of the now defunct Complex 14 Pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, which was used to launch Glenn's orbital mission into space. Other significant Friendship 7 artifacts include two navigational devices carried by Glenn aboard the spacecraft, fragments of the Atlas 109D rocket used to boost Glenn's spacecraft into orbit, and the electrical wires and disks used to monitor Glenn's vital signs during the space flight. The NASA sub-category also contains a few artifacts from the Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-95 in 1998, including a large "hold-down stud frangible nut" used to hold the space shuttle onto the launch pad prior to lift-off. |
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The majority of the items in the Senate sub-category pertain to speaking engagements or events John Glenn participated in, or attended, during his twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate. Other items were presented to Senator Glenn in appreciation of his support for a particular public policy issue or piece of legislation. For example, the collection contains pens used by President Ronald Reagan to sign into law legislation Glenn initiated. Other items pertain to Glenn's interests and activities during his senate years outside the political arena, such as the bell he used as Grand Marshal to start the 1990 Tournament of Roses Parade. Of particular note in this category is the leather upholstered wooden chair Senator Glenn used on the floor of the Senate Chamber from 1975 until his retirement in January 1999. In addition, the category contains a number of items presented to John Glenn to commemorate events he participated in during the years after his retirement from the U.S. Senate. Of note is a framed and matted piece of original fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer, which was given to Glenn in 2003 by descendants of the Wright Brothers during a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of powered flight. The category also contains some artifacts dating from the 1970s to the 1990s pertaining to John Glenn's wife, Anna "Annie" Castor Glenn. Most of these items are small mementos presented to attendees of the Ladies of the Senate Luncheon hosted annually by the First Lady. A listing of the artifacts in the Mementos Category is available through the Descriptive Listing link below. To view photographs of the mementos click on the Photo Gallery link. | |
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