COLUMBUS (WCMH) – A staff member of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs recounted Thursday how John Glenn treated every interaction he had with others like it was the most important of his life.

Assistant Director of Admissions and Student Services Chris Adams posted to Facebook shortly after John Glenn’s passing:

There are so many things to be said about the life and career of John Glenn. Our College’s motto is “Inspiring Citizenship, Developing Leadership,” and no one is a better embodiment of that than him. I’ll share this one story though.

Every spring the College hosts an end of the year dinner for our JG Learning Community students. Year in and year out John and Annie Glenn would faithfully attend and talk to the students, even though nobody would have blamed them for taking a year off every now and then.

Two years ago they were unable to make it, so my GAA Kelsey Gallagher and I saved two pieces of chocolate cake (their favorite) for them. The next day I found this nice note in my mailbox and it instantly brought a smile to my face. This may have been a small gesture, but it is emblematic of the kind of man he was.

His service to our country is unrivaled, but maybe just as impressive was the way he treated every interaction he had with others (especially students) like it was the most important of his life. It was an honor to know him and work for the College that bears his name.

RIP Senator Glenn; my thoughts and condolences are with Annie and his family.

Adams held on to that note from Glenn and posted it along with his thoughts.

Many on NBC4’s Facebook page echoed that sentiment.

“When I met him in Washington DC, I walked up to him and said, ‘Mr. Glenn, may I have your autograph.’ He obliged and oh what a gentleman,” said Richard Mattern.

“Got a chance to meet him a few years ago. Told him, ‘Senator, you really do look like Ed Harris’ (who played him in ‘The Right Stuff.’) He laughed and said he never had met him. We had a good conversation about Robert Kennedy, who he and his wife, Annie, were close friends with,” said Dwight Groce.