Thursday, November 01, 2007

St. Cloud's Own Superman...

There's a guy that I've seen for nearly a decade now on the corner of 25th and Division Street, right by the Dairy Queen in St. Cloud. When I first noticed him, he would walk back and forth in a Clark Kent type get-up with his tie untied, his shirt unbottoned, with a Superman T-shirt visible. I always thought it strange that a grown guy would dress up like Superman, but "Whatever floats your boat," was always my attitude toward him.

Then came September 11, 2001.

Instead of a Clark Kent outfit, the guy started dressing in full Superman regalia, complete with tights, shirt and cape, waving an American flag. In the days immediately following 9-11, Superman would stand on the street corner, and the thousands of cars that would pass him on Division would almost without fail honk their horns and wave their hands in good will to the man who would uphold the community's sense of "Truth, Justice and the American Way."

After the feeling of nationalism post-9-11 faded, Superman kept his watch over the city of St. Cloud.. though people were not as kind to him. Although cars still beeped their horns as they passed by, instead of shouts of encouragement, there would more often be shouts of ridicule, or worse.

Yet Superman persisted.

I was happy to read this piece tonight from fellow St. Cloud blogger, View From the Cloud, about how St. Cloud's very own Superman lived up to his name by saving a man from committing suicide a couple of weeks ago while on the Veteran's Bridge.

Read the entire story.


Thanks, Superman.

***UPDATE****

More here, and here.