“Practically every superhero legend is the story of an ordinary person who finds a power that he/she didn’t know they had. An ordinary guy named Lenny B. Robinson learned if he dawns his cape and climbs into his Batmobile he can change the lives of sick children.”
PARENT SPOTLIGHT 50
Every family has its secrets. In the case of Justin Robinson, Emory ’13, his father’s was really more a case of secret identity. His dad was Batman. Lenny B. Robinson, 51, traveled Baltimore and Washington, D.C., roads for more than 11 years before he gained notoriety as the Route 29 Batman thanks to a routine traffic stop.
THE BETA THETA PI
On March 21, 2012, Lenny’s black Lamborghini was pulled over for failing to display proper tags – his rear license plates only showed the Batman symbol. The cop light-heartedly jests about the man in the driver’s seat. “You can send me Robin, if you wish,” he calls to dispatch requesting for back up. Within moments, the policeman learns that Lenny is en route to visit sick children at Georgetown University Hospital. By
sheer determination and will, and so could they. Once his identity went public, Lenny took his hospital trips more frequently and upgraded to a $300,000, 1960s-era Batmobile replica. He even embarked on a national tour of sorts, leaving Batman toys and his inspirational message behind for those in need. In a tragic accident last August, Lenny pulled over on a Maryland highway to check the engine of his Batmobile. Shortly thereafter, another car struck the Batmobile, and Lenny died at the scene. The public response to the caped crusader’s death was overwhelming, with celebrities and Batman fans worldwide sending messages of support. After visits to Emory’s campus and the Gamma Upsilon Chapter house, Justin’s friends and brothers were also quick to recognize the loss of a man that, although he never had a roll number, was a living example of the values upon which the Fraternity was founded. How ironic that Adam West, Whitman ’51, the original Batman, was indeed a member of Beta Theta Pi.
BatDAD A FALLEN (SUPER) HERO the end of the stop, the officer is singing the well-known Batman theme song and requesting to take Lenny’s photo. The video received millions of views on YouTube, and gained international media attention. After a successful business career, Lenny began visiting children in local hospitals in 2001 with a simple message of hope – Batman wins long and hard battles through By Justin P. Warren, SMU ’10
As reported by The Washington Post, Justin and his two brothers delivered their father’s eulogies while wearing yellow yarmulkes stitched with the single word that had become synonymous with the hero that Lenny Robinson had become: “BATMAN.” A moving tribute for the BatDad Beta Dad who meant so much to so many.