The first time John Glenn made an impression on Patrick Paradis was in February 1962, when Glenn rode into outer space atop a rocket and circled Earth three times in his space capsule, becoming the first American to orbit the planet.

Paradis was 8 years old then, on vacation from school and following the mission on television.

An autographed picture from 1983 shows Glenn with Paradis when the Augusta Democrat was showing the presidential candidate around Maine.

This autographed picture from 1983 shows the late Sen. John Glenn, left, and Patrick Paradis when the two met in Augusta while Glenn was campaigning for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination. Framed with it is a sheet of stamps commemorating Glenn's 1962 space flight in the Mercury program.

More than two decades later, Paradis was in his early 30s and representing part of Augusta at the State House when acquaintances asked if he could show Glenn around central Maine as he campaigned to become the Democratic nominee for president.

Though Glenn was widely recognized as a national icon by that point – he had given new hope to the U.S. in its space race against the Soviet Union – he never showed it, Paradis recalled.

“I had not met him, but he was a hero of mine,” said Paradis, who is now 63. “He was so low-key, quiet-speaking and not like a politician. He’d speak to you directly.”

Paradis was one of at least two Mainers to remember his encounters with Glenn on Friday, a day after the former astronaut died at the age of 95.

In his Northern Avenue home, Paradis showed a few of the artifacts he has acquired over the years that hint at his admiration for the spaceman turned politician.

There are commemorative stamps Paradis purchased for $2 days after Glenn’s orbit. There is the Life magazine issue about Glenn from 1962 that Paradis purchased just two weeks ago while browsing at a flea market in Brunswick.

There are pins from Glenn’s 1984 presidential campaign and a framed photo of him and Paradis together in Augusta.

Paradis, now an outgoing city councilor in Augusta, said he took Glenn to rallies, restaurants, meetings with senior citizens and gatherings of state lawmakers in 1983 during the Ohio senator’s campaign stops in Maine.

“He was a one-on-one campaigner,” Paradis said, remembering the moment a young member of the Marine Corps approached the candidate wearing a uniform and Glenn, a former Marine, engaged the man in conversation. “He just zeroed in on him. He spent all the time he could speaking to that man.”

Walter Mondale ended up receiving the Democratic nomination that year and lost to incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan, but Paradis said he was proud to support Glenn, whose moderate political views and ability to reach across the aisle he thinks are lacking in today’s political climate.

Another Maine man described Glenn in similar terms on Friday.

Peter Dixon, a 76-year-old pilot and teacher who recently retired in Cape Elizabeth, said he met Glenn while serving as the engineer on a flight from New York City to Amsterdam. Dixon was performing preflight checks when he heard a man ask if he could enter the cockpit. Dixon agreed, then noticed the visitor’s identity.

“He sat down, and I’m like, ‘Holy smokes! It’s John Glenn,’ ” Dixon said. “But he couldn’t have been nicer. He was just absolutely pleasant. He was interesting. He was soft-spoken and had a really good sense of humor.”

A flight attendant in her early 20s entered the cockpit but didn’t recognize the senator and former astronaut, Dixon said, prompting Glenn to feign feeling hurt and act as though he had been stabbed in the heart.

Glenn also introduced the crew to his wife, Annie, whom Dixon described as “lovely too.”

Dixon, like Paradis, also supported Glenn during his presidential bid, and his sister worked on Glenn’s campaign.

“He was bright,” Dixon said. “He knew about stuff, unlike these politicians. He was not a good candidate, because he told the truth.”

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