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Biden, Bill Clinton to speak at John Glenn Service

Ohio pays its respects to former senator, space pioneer

Ohio Sen. John Glenn speaks during a news conference at NASA headquarters in Washington in 1998 to announce his return to the space program and his upcoming mission on the space shuttle. In the background is a 1962 photo of Glenn in his first turn as an astronaut. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Ohio Sen. John Glenn speaks during a news conference at NASA headquarters in Washington in 1998 to announce his return to the space program and his upcoming mission on the space shuttle. In the background is a 1962 photo of Glenn in his first turn as an astronaut. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call file photo)
By Aryn Braun
Posted December 16, 2016 at 8:41am

Former senator, presidential candidate and space pioneer John Glenn will receive a grand, two-day commemoration in Columbus, Ohio, this weekend.  

Glenn, an member of the iconic 1960s Mercury Seven astronauts, died last week at the age of 95.

[Former Senator and Astronaut John Glenn Dies at 95]

Members of the public can pay their respects to Glenn at the Ohio Statehouse on Friday, an honor reserved only for the state’s most revered leaders, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

A U.S. Marine Honor Guard will stand watch over Glenn’s body, which will lie in the statehouse rotunda overnight. 

A  procession will travel from there to Ohio State University’s Mershon Auditorium Saturday morning, where a public memorial will be held. 

[John Glenn’s Life in Photos]

Former President Bill Clinton and current Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will speak at the service. Biden and Glenn served together in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades. 

Others speakers include OSU President Michael Drake, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and retired Marine Corps Gen. John R. Dailey, who is the director of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

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