America's 50 states have all sorts of
State symbols that represent our cultural heritage and natural treasures. The official State Tree of Ohio is the Aesculus Glabra (or, as it's more commonly known, the Ohio Buckeye). Our official state bird is the Cardinal and our official flower is the Scarlet Carnation. We also have an official animal (White-Tailed Deer), Insect (Ladybug), Gemstone (Ohio Flint) and reptile (Black Racer). Last week, Mark Butler of the Ohio Historical Society
created a petition to get an official State Superhero on that list of Official State symbols. For any comic book lover, there should be no surprise which one it is-- Cleveland's most famous (adopted) son,
Superman.
"Superman was created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio," states Butler in the petition. "Superman is a cultural icon that transcends comic books. We want the State of Ohio to recognize Superman and his creators and celebrate Superman's roots in the Buckeye state."
Mr. Butler is a Project Coordinator in the Educational Partnerships and Outreach Department of the
Ohio Historical Society. According to his
personal website, Mark "provides fun and engaging teacher training to demonstrate how primary resources can make history come alive. He fell in love with history while visiting the Ohio History Center as a youth. He is happy to share this enthusiasm with educators and students. He also is passionate about comic books, which he, much to the chagrin of his colleagues, also enjoys sharing."
Superman is heralded as the first superhero. Hopefully, with enough signatures, the "Man of Tomorrow" will become the first official state superhero. Those interested in signing the petition can do so at
http://www.change.org.
