SERIES 1: PERSONAL/POLITICAL Boxes 1 - 169
Browse the Biographical Material Sub-series collection
The biographical files contain four cubic feet of general files, book drafts, and magazines, covering all aspects of the life of John Glenn and his wife, Anna (Annie) Castor Glenn. The general files comprise one-half cubic foot of materials and include biographical sketches of Glenn written by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the "official" biographical sketches written at various times by Glenn's senate staff. Also included is a file of genealogical information on the Glenn family compiled by various relatives and by admirers of Senator Glenn. Other notable files include listings of Glenn's military duty assignments, medals and awards, a timeline of his life, a transcript of Glenn's 1969 oral history done for the Kennedy Library, and multiple files on his 1962 space flight aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft. The files are arranged alphabetically by folder heading.
The one and one-half cubic feet of book drafts contain three drafts and two proof sheets to John Glenn's autobiography, John Glenn: A Memoir, written with coauthor Nick Taylor and published in 1999 by Bantam Books. The drafts contain Glenn's handwritten notations, rewrites, and corrections, and offer some information and insights into Senator Glenn's life not included in the final, published draft. Also included is a typewritten copy of the script to the audio book edition. The files are arranged chronologically by book draft.
The two cubic feet of magazines include original, hard copy issues of various magazines and other publications with a photograph or image of John or Annie Glenn on the cover or that contain a feature article on John or Annie Glenn. Most of the publications date from either 1962 or 1998 and focus on Glenn's space flights aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft and the Space Shuttle Discovery. Other publications highlight John Glenn's political career, most notably his decision to run for the U.S. Senate in 1964 and his bid for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination. Also included under the heading "various publications" are photocopies of less prominent articles on John and Annie Glenn arranged by decade from the 1950s through the 1990s. The magazine issues are arranged alphabetically by title. Boxes 18 and 19 contain oversized magazines, such as Life and The Saturday Evening Post, separated from the main listing for preservation purposes.