The Metropolis Planet is organizing a Bone Marrow Drive in honor of Clyde Wills, their Editor Emeritus, on April 12, and the town of Metropolis is rallying around this very special man. In this photo, then presidential hopeful Barack Obama poses in front of the town’s Superman statue in a photo taken by Clyde Wills.

Many years ago, in 1989, when I was at the very height of my great enthusiam for all things Superman, I discovered that there in fact existed a place in the US called Metropolis, Illinois. It is on the southern tip of the state, bordering Paducah, Kentucky.

I flew down there to write a story about “Superman’s hometown” and met with the editor of The Metropolis Planet, Clyde Wills. I went on to do syndicated articles about the amazing people of Metrolopolis and how they celebrated the legendary comic book heroes that dwelled in a city by the same name.

Most importantly, Clyde Wills became a great friend and remains one of the dearest people I know. In such a small town, as the newspaper editor, he was always involved in all aspects of Metropolis business and commerce. He has been as important and as present in that town at Superman himself.

Recently he retired and many people were devastated to discover Clyde has Leukemia. His wife sent me a message and I visited his Facebook page to find dozens and dozens of good wishes from Metropolis friends. It was such a relief when Clyde came on to Facebook after a difficult and unexpected hospital stay to “report” on his experience. He continues to keep those who love him in the loop (thank you!). He posts amazing reports, in his typically calm and humorous (he is truly funny!) way, about the challenging journey he is on.

The next leg of this journey is the need for a bone marrow transplant, with the people of Metropolis coming forward to help out. The Metropolis Planet — the newspaper he ran for many years — and the people of Metropolis have organized a bone marrow drive in his honor. While the first step is to see if family is a match it is a lovely gesture to try to make sure there is a back up plan. It may not benefit Clyde directly, but it could help others in the future. 

Here is an update on the Bone Marrow Drive.

METROPOLIS, IL – The Metropolis Planet has organized a bone marrow drive in Metropolis planned for Monday, April 12, from 2-6 pm. It will be held at First Baptist Church’s Family Life Center in Metropolis at 615 Girard St. The bone marrow drive is being held in honor of the Planet’s Editor Emeritus, Clyde Wills, who has been diagnosed with luekemia.

For more background, Read the full article.

To find out about becoming a bone marrow donor in your neighborhood, contact the National Marrow Donor Program. 

Photo Credit:  Barack Obama and Superman in Metropolis, Illinois, by Clyde Wills.