He spent his free time striding into hospitals across the state, northwest of Washington, visiting sick children, handing out gifts and signing autographs as “Batman”. “He touched a lot of lives and made a lot of kids smile”.
Advertisement
To make good on that promise in Robinson’s stead, another Batman from Huntington, West Virginia (John Buckland), made a trip to meet Jacob and present him with his own key to the Batmobile.
“He was my brother, my business partner, my best friend”, Scott Robinson said. On Monday, the firefighters changed their marquee sign to read: “RIP Batman, Lenny B. Robinson“. To help others. And he did that in an absolutely awe-inspiring way – he spent about $5000 on an accurate Batman costume, bought a Lamorghini Gallardo Spyder (customised to be something of a Batmobile-inspired vehicle)(the car was later swapped out for a custom replica of the 1960’s Batmobile) and over $25,000 yearly on Batman comics and merchandise that he would give to children battling cancer. Since Robinson wasn’t a Hollywood movie star, he decided that the best way to fulfill kids’ hero fantasies was to become Batman, offering rides in his Batmobile and putting on a show at local hospitals.
He first donned on the costume for one of his sons, Brandon. In 2012, a dashcam video showing police pulling him over in his Batmobile went viral.
As the Dark Knight, Robinson used a deep voice, but he was careful to never scare younger children. “That’s all he wanted to do”.
Laurie Strongin, founder of the Hope for Henry Foundation, a Washington nonprofit dedicated to helping the area’s sickest children, said faces lit up when Robinson walked into a room. “He’s naturally a superhero”.
Lenny Robinson and Wonder Woman (Leslie Vincent from Cast of Thousands), with patient Fatou Mboge and her mom, Awa Janneh, at the annual Hope for Henry Superhero Celebration at Georgetown Hospital. Robinson traded the Lamborghini for the Batmobile later that year.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Leonard Robinson, who shared his love of Batman with everyone around…
“He would come into the hospital and transform the place”, she said.
Advertisement
Sharen Sumpter-Deitz, a board member of the South Charleston, W.Va., Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Robinson had left for home Sunday afternoon after meeting hundreds of children over the weekend at the city’s Summerfest, two daycare centers and a library.
