[Bluerooster]

Met Wally Schirra, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs while I was their on my honeymoon as he was there for a conference. I was just stepping out of a hotel pub, and he was stepping in. Very nice and gracious guy. We had brief chat and that was that.

Fast forward about 30 years and I shared an elevator with John Glenn, also one of the Mercury 7, and a US Senator and Presidential candidate. We were at a hospital where I worked at the time, and we had a nice chat. He said as we got to the main floor of the tower and we both got out that he was stopping at the cafe for a cup of joe and would I join him. I was flabbergasted. His wife Annie was there for an extended visit, and he just wanted to talk and he said I seemed like a great listener. We met every day for about 10 days or so at that cafe at 11 am. Amazing human. He was into his early 90’s then, and his vitality, vigor and bone crushing handshake gives me hope in my golden years.