The Slice: How Spokane Man got his powers

The Slice asked what the origin story could be for a Spokane-based superhero.

Dana Freeborn suggested “Spokane Man” might have acquired mental superpowers when his brain reacted in a totally unexpected way to being jostled and jarred by driving on the city’s pothole-cratered streets.

Slice answer: “You asked ‘Are you someone to whom others turn when they absolutely, positively need to be picked up and driven somewhere at a certain time?’ ” wrote Mary Ann Barney.

“I nominate my husband as the absolute winner of that category! Since we moved to Spokane 16 years ago, Dick has driven countless students from Whitworth to the airport and from the airport to Whitworth (as well as various and assorted neighbors), mostly at ungodly hours.

“When the former Whitworth basketball coach needed to be picked up for a trip to the airport at 4:20 a.m., he called Dick. Since Dick had never been to his house, he drove there the day before to be sure he would be able to find it in the dark and get to him in time. When the coach heard about it, he held Dick up as an example to his team as what being prepared is all about.

“Dick also got a call from Bill Robinson, former Whitworth president, from Italy asking him to pick up his kids at 5 a.m. and take them to the airport. He told Dick that their friend was going to take them but he wanted to be certain they actually got there in time.”

Re: Skyscraper in Spokane Valley (Tuesday’s Slice): My friend and former colleague Dan Hansen weighed in. “The conversation about a skyscraper in the Spokane Valley has already been had.”

He passed along an S-R story he wrote in 1995, noting the death of businessman and philanthropist Hank Grinalds. Here’s an excerpt.

“Grinalds announced in 1990 he would build a 482-foot tower, modeled after Seattle’s Space Needle, if businesses showed an interest in occupying it.

“The tower plan died for lack of interest and because building regulations prohibit buildings more than 60 feet tall in the Valley, in part to protect air traffic to Felts Field Airport.”

Pets sending emails: Ellen Sherriffs was on the computer and in the middle of writing a letter to a friend living in Japan when her beloved cat, Hairy, walked across the keyboard and “sent” the email.

Today’s Slice question: What would you learn about Spokane if you rode every STA route all the way out and all the way back?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Is there a story behind your middle name?