Those in the audience who did not know what Glenn would say about his future -- and there were many, for it was a closely guarded secret -- leaned forward in their seats at Muskingum College.
"Because I believe these things," Glenn said as the speech climaxed, "because I am deeply proud of the 8,894 votes I have cast on behalf of the people of Ohio; because I believe we stand at a crossroads in a very rapidly changing world . . . there is nothing I might wish for more fervently than to declare my candidacy for a fifth term in the United States Senate."
But then, Glenn said simply, he couldn't.
"Although my health remains excellent, and my passion for the job burns as brightly as ever, another term in the Senate would take me to the age of 83," he said. "For that reason -- and that reason alone -- I have decided that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the Senate in 1998.