Just saw it on CNN.com.
Carpenter was 88 and was in failing health. I thought I'd seen a diary about him recently but can't seem to find one.
I was 11 years old when Carpenter became the second American to orbit the earth. During the early years of the space program, when I was in elementary school and junior high school, we'd be brought into the school auditorium to watch the television coverage.
An American hero and a life well-lived.
May he rest in peace.