SAN ANTONIO – The life and legacy of astronaut and former Sen. John Glenn will forever be remembered. He died in Ohio Thursday at the age of 95.
"They told me what happened and I said, ‘Oh, my God,’” said Frances Rendon, a teacher at John Glenn Elementary.
"He was nice, very gentle, a very soft-spoken person and very happy," Rendon said.
Frances Rendon has been a teacher at John Glenn Elementary over 20 years. She was one of the few around when the iconic astronaut visited the Alamo City in the early '90s when the school was named after him.
Glenn was a highly decorated Marine pilot. He flew dozens of missions in the Pacific during World War II. In 1962, he was the first American to orbit the Earth and circled the planet three times. He went back into space in 1998, at 77 years old, aboard the Discovery space shuttle. He also spent 24 years as a Democratic senator from Ohio.
Pictures of Glenn and his visit are displayed proudly throughout the school named after him.
“They’re very historic and it's something we want our kids to look at and be knowledgeable about," Rendon said.
Administrators at the elementary plan to pay tribute to Glenn Friday during the school's morning announcements. They will also have students write condolence letters.