Batman offered inspiring message

Ray took the call in the newsroom. Then he looked at me.

“They say Batman is going to be in Albany this afternoon,” he said. “Sounds like it might be good for The News and Sun.”

Inwardly, I groaned.

Batman? Really?

An indelible image of some fat guy in a cheap costume took shape in my head.

Shamelessly, I wondered if anyone else was available to handle a photo assignment.

No one was.

And besides, while Albany’s outside the coverage area of The Commercial Review, it’s inside the coverage area for The News and Sun. These days, putting together the weekly paper is pretty much part of my duties most of the time.

There was no getting away from it. The Caped Crusader was heading my way.

So was a headache, as it turned out. I was already in a below-par mood, and now Batman awaited.

“He’ll be there with the Batmobile,” said Ray, as if that might be an inducement.

“I’ve got it,” I said.

Just the same, as I headed out on Indiana 67 toward Delaware County, I can’t say I was looking forward to it. My grandsons are huge Batman fans. So is one of my sons-in-law.

But I’m a little more cynical or jaded. After all, I wondered, what sort of grown man gets dressed up in a Batman costume and goes out in public on any day that’s not Halloween?

Turns out, the answer to that question is John Buckland. And John’s a pretty smart guy, an effective speaker with an audience of kids and probably the best Batman you’ll ever run into.

John’s with an outfit called Heroes-4-Higher, which provides uplifting and inspiring messages, usually when kids are faced with serious, serious health problems and could use a visit from a Superhero.

The Batmobile was already in the parking lot at Albany Elementary School when I pulled in. Indianapolis TV had a crew on hand, and the StarPress had a staffer. The car had already drawn a crowd of admirers.

There are lots of different iterations of the Batmobile from the 1960s TV show and the various movies, but this one qualified as pretty doggoned cool.

The cockpit was set well back, and under the long hood a big engine growled. The fins would have made a 1959 DeSoto envious.

But it was Batman — John — who made a difference. No paunchy old guy here. The costume was top-notch, and John looked like he could give most bad guys a run for their money.

What brought him to Albany was a boy named Christian Daugherty, who is locked in a battle with cancer.

As Batman put it, Christian is the true Superhero. And that’s who the Caped Crusader had come to honor that day.

I’d snapped probably a dozen pictures and could have made my exit.

But Batman’s magnetism pulled me inside to the all-purpose room where the entire student body was waiting for him to make his entrance.

Cheers went up when he came in, the kind of cheers that only kids are capable of. Nothing cynical or jaded about a sound like that, and when they cheered I found myself caught up in the event.

Like the kids, I was ready to hear what Batman had to say.

His message was simple, positive, and repeated enough so that everyone there would always remember it.

He offered the kids four great tips:

—“Never give up.” That’s one I especially needed to hear that particular Monday morning.

—“Help other people.” That’s always good advice.

—“Always do the right thing.” That one’s a challenge, as any adult can tell you. Figuring out the right thing can be difficult at times. And “always” sets a high standard.

—“Don’t be a bully.” I agreed with that one as well. So did Christian and the rest of the kids.

There was more cheering — on my part as well as the kids’ part — then it was off to the Batmobile so John could give Christian a spin around Albany then take him home from school.

As for me, I smiled all the way back to the office.

Thanks, John. Thanks, Batman.