Do you remember the Batman of Birmingham?
I do, STARSHIPpers and he's largely why I do what I do as Founder and Captain.
 |
| Willie Perry, an ALABAMA legend. |
This is another resonant occurrence of "the auspicious One who uses their vehicle to help others" from my own hometown besides myself and Sun Ra.
A man who used his own money and ingenuity to assist anyone in need of help in our city during the 1970s and 80s.
As a child, my friends and I would often chase behind his amazing car waving for him to perhaps stop and greet us. 
That car was the sleekest most fantastical thing we'd ever seen in real life, magically appearing and cruising through our block with all her leaning quill-like antennas, shiny chrome decals and service sirens ablaze-
..and all with the Alabama Crimson Tide color scheme at her core.
Inside, it had a 13" screen TV, VCR , a telephone (all before general public access to that type of mobile technology, mind you) and police scanner with all kinds of gadgets, tools and supplies in his trunk so that he could be of help in a ton of different ways in most any situation.
He would stop and help you if you had a flat tire or needed a car belt change on the highway. If you were elderly and couldn't drive, he would pick you up for your doctor's appointments and even bring you food regularly, all at no charge.
He was Meals On Wheels, A.S.A.P. and Uber before such companies ever existed. The man was indeed ahead of his own time.
And to top it all off, as elusive as he was personally, he'd nevertheless be found among the usual suspects at all kinds of city events, openings and parades.
Below is a short segment from the human interests show, "That's Incredible" featuring the man himself doing his thing in 1982.
He was just beginning his eventual rise to national notoriety as more and more people learned of his work and began to love the idea of a real-life superhero, that is until the notorious date of January 24th, 1985 when he suddenly passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning while working on his car in his own garage during a snow storm.
Not only was our city shocked but the greater world itself also took part in our mourning for this wonderful gentleman, Perry who made our world more beautiful by showing us all, young and old just how truly awesome being of everyday service can be.
I believe that his story belonged in our STARSHIP archives, being an enormous personal influence of mine and largely the inspiration for my original character, "Omnipax", part of my STARSHIP creative universe, so we're linking everything we can find online of this influential man within
this article (which includes links to related stories/articles below).
BTW - August 3rd is Willie Perry Day in Birmingham, AL. It'd be nice to
be able to once again celebrate on a regular basis this extraordinary man's contribution to our fair city and
her people.
IJS.
If you'd like to start your new life or your own business but aren't sure just how or where to begin, contact us now to embark on this exciting quest together and unleash the extraordinary within you!
Bringing STARSHIP scholastic awards and initiatives for innovation to your city!
RELATED ARTICLES
