RIP, the first man to orbit the earth.
Normally when people post that they've done such-and-such, met so-and-so, or been somewhere I'm very much "meh". That however is the first 'life experience' post I've ever read on this board that has actually made me jealousI used to run a decent-sized tech company based in San Francisco. Every year we'd get the whole sales team together for a week of target-setting for the next year and drinking in Vegas. The keynote speaker was always a big name celeb of some description, the name of whom we kept secret until they walked on stage. One year we got Michael Jordan, another year Michael Johnson, another year Joe Montana, and so on. They all got standing ovations when the audience clocked who it was. The person who received the longest and by far most ecstatic and enthusiastic welcome was John Glenn. He was viewed by the team as being a genuine out and out hero - almost as I would imagine Churchill would have been welcomed by a group of Brits.
After his speech, I had dinner with him and his wife, with a few of the senior sales guys. He was polite, insightful, tough as nails, intelligent and articulate. I have never forgotten his reception and that dinner. One of the highlights of my working life.
RIP John Glenn.
.... first man .............. after Gagarin.