Annie’s high school portrait , 1938

Annie Glenn was born Anna Margaret Castor on February 17, 1920, to Dr. Homer and Margaret Castor of Columbus, Ohio. In 1923, the family moved to New Concord, Ohio, where Dr. Castor opened a dental practice in addition to managing the family farm near Otsego in Muskingum County. Every Thursday, Annie and her younger sister, Jane, would join their father at the farm and play in the woods while he did chores. The girls would go hiking, climb trees, and pick blackberries. In town, Annie was active in the town choir and band, where she played trumpet. She also participated in the local Girl Scout troop.

Annie and Jane

Annie and her sister Jane on Maple Avenue in New Concord, Ohio, circa 1925-26

Like her father, Annie grew up with a severe speech impediment that caused her to stutter eighty-five percent of her words. Annie credits her positive experiences in grade and high school to her involvement in a small tight-knit community where she was supported and accepted. Outside of school, Annie faced challenges communicating with sales clerks in larger towns, often resorting to writing down her shopping list.

Front view of Annie’s childhood home outside of New Concord, Ohio

The Castors were good friends with the family of John Hershel Glenn, Sr., and Annie and John H. Glenn, Jr. were childhood playmates at a very young age. They remained close throughout childhood, eventually becoming high school sweethearts.

John and Annie on the lawn of the Castor home in New Concord, Ohio, circa 1938

The couple attended Muskingum College, a small liberal arts college in New Concord. Annie graduated in 1942 with minors in music and secretarial science. In college, she was introduced to the pipe organ and began taking lessons and became an accomplished organist, a skill she maintained for the rest of her adult life. Following graduation, Annie took a secretary job with the Army Air Corps in Dayton, OH. By this time, she and John were engaged. The couple married on April 6, 1943, after John received his commission in the U.S. Marine Corps.

John and Annie on their wedding day, taken by the arbor in the backyard of the Castor home in New Concord, Ohio, 1943

Annie gave birth to son David in 1945 and daughter Lyn in 1947. Throughout John’s military career, she served as an organist for the churches attended by the family and occasionally worked as a secretary.

Four generations

Annie, holding David, with her mother, Margaret Castor, and her grandmother, Margaret Alley, 1946

 

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