Kahlil Pfaff: From Bumpass to Beirut 

 

  

On the horizon sits another world, another place in time. As the airplane begins its decent into the ancient airs of Lebanon, Kahlil Pfaff is beginning to feel at home.

Despite having spent his first 30 years in and around Louisa, Pfaff’s love for the Middle Eastern country was instant. 

“At the end of the [first] trip, I was moved deeply and regretted that I had to leave,” Pfaff stated in an e-mail. “My second visit seemed to confirm that I belonged in Lebanon.”

Pfaff works as a counselor for Kids Alive International, a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for at-risk children. 

“By reaching out in love to the children of Lebanon,” Pfaff said, “and helping them come to a place of healing, I am directly affecting the future of Lebanon in a neutral and non-political manner.”

Lebanon is a land of stark contrasts, torn by years of war with Israel, Syria and within its own borders. Enormous piles of rubble frame the lush mountain ranges that rise from the earth, and extreme wealth lives in the midst of material poverty.

“There seems to be a sense of fatalism that exists here that transcends every ethnicity, religion and political affiliation,” Pfaff said. 

But the damage caused by human conflict doesn’t prevent people like Pfaff from doing their part to bring goodness into the picture.

“[Lebanese] people are extremely warm and seem to squeeze all they can out of life,” Pfaff said. 

Pfaff visited Lebanon several times before moving permanently to the land nestled at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. He said that he has every intention of living there indefinitely, making his home amongst the famed cedars and fig trees. 

*   *   * 

The sounds of children echo throughout the Dar El Awlad Children’s Home in Beirut, Lebanon. A young boy cries out for comfort after an older child teased him about his small stature. Several boys chuckle frantically, after encountering a curious chameleon that had made its home amongst their clothes. Nursery rhymes sung in Lebanese Arabic float in the air, riding the mouth-watering scents of roasting kabobs and kafta. 

Kahlil Pfaff makes his way throughout the halls, searching for one of the children. He is responsible for 30 children, and he meets with each of them on a three-week rotation. 

Dar El Awlad provides a home for up to 40 boys from age three to 20. Kids Alive International helps the orphanage, and has been working in Lebanon for more than 60 years, serving vulnerable children in the community through a school and care center.

“Unfortunately, many of the boys arrive several years behind in education,” states the Kids Alive Web site, “while some have learning difficulties that made them unable to cope with the stress of studying in a ‘mainstream’ government school–which is one reason Dar El Awlad School was started.”

Pfaff works with Kids Alive to provide shelter, education, food and support to the children of Dar El Awlad, many of whom were orphaned by war. Some have been Palestinian refugees, who, according to Amnesty International, are often discriminated against in Lebanese society. Kids Alive offers them hope, something that they may not find on their own in the streets of Beirut. 

 Although Lebanon’s government practices power-sharing between the various sects of Muslims and the Christians, the threat of conflict is always present, Pfaff said. The war between Lebanon and Israel officially ended in 2006, but the Lebanese Shiite group known as Hezbollah has denied the peace agreement, and has continued to engage with Israel from Lebanon’s southern border. 

The United Nations estimates that 5.6 percent of Lebanese children–approximately 71,000– are orphans. 

Kids Alive functions through volunteering and donations, and is always looking for support in its efforts to stem  the tide of internal strife and disabling wars. 

“While the physical wounds of war and conflict are painfully obvious,” Pfaff said, “the burdens the children carry are not so easily identified... I might not be able to assist every child, but I can help those I encounter.” 

*   *   * 

The name ‘Kahlil’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘friend.’ His parents named him after Kahlil Gibran, a renown Lebanese poet whose musings touched on philosophy, love and religion in the context of human nobility, frailty and indifference. 

“We never knew that [our son’s] mission would take him to Lebanon, the birthplace and museum of Kahlil Gibran,” said Pfaff’s father, Ray. 

Kahlil Pfaff was responsible for raising the $42,000 it cost to spend two years of his life counseling young boys and bringing hope into often hopeless situations. 

 “We are so proud of him,” said Kahlil’s mother, LaVeta Pfaff. “He’s giving them love, counseling, working with them to help them with any stress that they’re going through.” 

Kids Alive International operates in more than 15 countries, and Pfaff’s experience with the organization seemed the perfect fit for a Louisa native who studied science before earning a masters degree in marriage and family counseling. 

His fascination with life began with an appreciation for nature. He earned his undergraduate degrees in biology and environmental science, but after much prayer and reflection, he shifted his focus to the social sciences.

He said that he has always been interested in animals, and he often uses encounters with creatures as teachable moments with children from the orphanage. 

Pfaff grew up surrounded by animals, and his mother remembers how her freezer was always filled with passed-away pets, waiting to be buried. 

He never seemed to pass on an opportunity to help the helpless. 

“He  found some baby possums whose mother had been killed,” LaVeta said. “He took care of them until they could be on their own.” 

From his earliest age, he enjoyed exploring. Austin Hill graduated with Pfaff in 1995, and recalled that they both cultivated a love of travel after spending hours exploring the serenity of eastern Louisa.

“He’d always have a great idea of a new place to explore or something new to see,” Hill said. “I can’t tell you how many times we would just head into the woods and come out having found a new hideout [and] a good story or two.” 

Pfaff also studied Arabic at Sweet Briar College, learning a base-knowledge of the Lebanese dialect, although he admits that fully acquiring the language has been a challenge.

He often finds time to mesh his hobby of rock-climbing with caring for children. He recently raised $600 to purchase rock-climbing equipment to use as part of a hands-on learning method. 

When not scaling rock faces or helping children discover themselves, Pfaff also enjoys writing and photography. He keeps an online blog which documents his various adventures throughout Lebanon.

The beauty of the Mediterranean nation is striking, Pfaff said, but the autumn colors of Virginia are one of the few things he misses, in addition to friends, family and the U.S. Postal Service. 

“I have a better appreciation for the efficiency and standards of the American postal system after having to pay for receiving packages [in Lebanon],” Pfaff said. 

*   *   * 

Looking up towards the icy blue sky, Kahlil Pfaff steadies himself against the bulging granite rocks that shoot into the air at dangerous angles. 

Scores of children watch in anticipation, waiting for their counselor to take his first steps upwards. Pfaff grabs hold of a stable protrusion, and smoothly pulls himself onto a ledge. 

He motions for one of the children to approach. Holding out his hand, he encourages the youth forward. 

Fear settles behind the young eyes, but Pfaff is quick with encouraging words. 

“Trust yourself,” he says. “Trust me.” 

In the distance, an airplane begins its decent towards Beirut’s international airport. As the plane approaches, the roar of jet engines begin swallowing up conversations. The boy cannot hear his teacher, and he grow nervous. 

His feet slip, his body jerks, and his eyes bulge. In one swift motion, Pfaff grabs his student’s arm, pulling him to safety, as the bellows from above fade slowly into the distance. 

Pfaff holds the youth close, looking to the sky, watching the plane during its final stages of flight. 

“Where are they going?” asks the young boy. 

“Home,” Pfaff says. “They’re going home.” 

 

 - Published in the December 31, 2009 edition of The Central Virginian

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For more information, visit:

Kahlil Pfaff on Twitter

Kids Alive International

Kahlil Pfaff's Web site

 

 

 

  

Darius Quarles

  

 

The sun has not yet risen in the Quarles household as Darius rises from sleep to prepare for work. 

His wife, Chastity, has just fallen asleep after working the night shift for United Postal Service. 

Darius leaves the warmth of his bed and moseys to an in-home studio where he prepares some brushes, a canvass and some acrylic paints.

He makes the final touches  on a commissioned painting–an impressionistic image of percussionist Don Moye. 

“I have always been interested in art,” Darius said during a phone interview. “Ever since my early days of tracing Beetle Bailey comics.”

Darius, 37, graduated from Louisa County High School in 1989. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina with his wife, Chastity and their four children–Noah, Kenai, Jonah and Lyric.

Raised by his grandparents, Darius was infused with a strong work ethic and dedication to family. 

“He’s a totally dependable man,” said Adeline Quarles, Darius’s grandmother. “He’s excellent with his kids. He’s always been very creative.” 

Immediately out of high school, Darius spent four years traveling the world with the U.S. Navy, serving eight months in Iraq during Desert Storm. He also managed to see Egypt, New Zealand and Italy, which left an indelible impression on him. 

“The architecture in Cairo and Italy–it was very inspirational,” he said. 

After the Navy, he studied art and color theory before meeting Chastity. The two were working at the same hotel when their paths met. 

“He made me laugh, right off,” Chastity said. “It was his sense of humor, and he’s very straight forward, to-the-point.”

The two share an interesting similarity: both were raised in small southern towns by their grandparents.

Since they married in 1999, the couple has steadily built their business, Quarles Art and Design, while adding four children to their household. 

“I studied a lot on my own,” Darius remembered. “Ms. Rebecca Massie taught art in ‘86 and ‘87. She taught me a lot, which took me to a lot of places.” 

Massie still teaches art at Louisa County High School, and remembers Darius well.

“I’m glad to know that [Darius is an artist],” Massie stated in an e-mail. “I remember a bright, capable young man with a mischievous smile.” 

Darius’s work is influenced by surrealists and abstract impressionists like Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe. 

His paintings exhibit a melting stained-glass quality–pieces of a fluid puzzle woven together with an almost comic book sensibility. His art tells a story, and each color he applies stands alone yet also serves as a descriptive word within a comprehensive visual language.

His style is catching on. Now a full-time artist, he spends 18 hours a day manipulating color and form to express sentiments that flood from his hands via his heart and soul. 

Darius has sold art throughout the country, and he and Chastity recently organized an art show at the APW Gallery in New York. 

“It was an incredible show, very positive,” Darius said. 

After returning to Durham, he received dozens of phone calls from interested buyers. Two weeks later all five pieces were sold. 

Darius is currently furnishing an entire home with commissioned art, which will be featured during the annual Parade of Homes, an event showcasing new homes in the Durham area. Darius is painting a 20-by-5 foot mural and 13 other pieces ranging from six to eight feet. He’s already finished three, including two 12-by-10 footers. 

“I used to do watercolors, then I got into mixing acrylics,” he said. 

Darius prefers to paint people who have an element of controversy to their personalities, something that his art portrays with his technique.

“People like Thelonius Monk and Peter Tosh, they’re intriguing,” he said. “You look at them and you don’t know what they’re thinking. Most people don’t know who they are. In their own time, they were controversial.” 

He revealed that his technique involves using colors to represent stress points on a person’s face, something he developed on his own with help from books, other artists and personal experience. 

Despite his heavy workload, Darius also finds time for philanthropy. He recently designed a logo for Personal Energy Transport, a group that builds hand-driven tricycles for people in Zambia. He has also donated art work for silent auctions to raise money for the Duke Children’s Hospital.

Darius also enjoys playing basketball and golf, when he has the time. His family, however, is the core of his happiness.

“[My children] all have a gift,” Darius said. “My grandparents never deterred me from doing things, you know, within reason, so I try to be that way with my kids. I’d like them to look back and be proud.” 

  

- Published in the October 6, 2009 edition of The Central Virginian

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For more information, visit:

Quarles Art and Design

  

  

  

  

Knitting hope

Mother-daughter team sews for needy youth

 

 

Eva Nidermaier never thought she’d be a knitter.

But the 81 year-old Louisa resident took up the hobby after she learned of the desperate poverty that plagues many communities in rural West Virginia.

“I just thought it was a good thing to do, for the kids up in Appalachia,” Nidermaier said, although she admitted she was reluctant to learn a new skill at her age.

Nidermaier’s daughter, Sylvia Nelson, had crocheted scarves for the American Cancer Society, and introduced her mother to the art. 

“I started coming over to my mom’s house to knit,” Nelson said. “At first she didn’t want to, but when she found out about the children, I guess she changed her mind.”  

Nidermaier has steadily mastered her knitting, creating 21 hats of various sizes and colors  that will be on a truck going to Beckley, West Virginia on Friday, Nov. 13.

Nelson knitted 30 hats and a dozen scarves to join her mother’s efforts. 

The idea to donate clothes to impoverished people of rural Appalachia came from Nidermaier’s other daughter, Penny Seymour. Seymour is pastor at Duke’s Chapel in Beaverdam, and was preaching at a small church in rural West Virginia when it happened.

“Homeless people were bringing their children out of the woods to participate in the event,” Seymour said. “There are some desperate areas out there in the Appalachian region.”

Seymour was inspired to gather coats and hats for the less fortunate families, and for people staying at a shelter for abused women and children in West Virginia. 

“At first we thought about using a pick-up truck,” she said. “Now we’ve got a [tractor] trailer full.”

 Seymour said that word-of-mouth has created an influx of donations, including hundreds of books, toys, food items and nearly 4,000 jackets.

“So many people have been involved,” Seymour said. “It’s been such a joint effort. It’s not me, it’s the people who volunteered that deserve credit.” 

In total, more than 30 people in Virginia and West Virginia will be organizing the give-away.

Donald and Joanne McCallister are leading the effort across the state line. 

“It’s amazing what’s going on with the project,” Donald said. “We’re working diligently to get the racks prepared.”

The items will be taken to the future home of Well Springs International Church, which is currently an empty 3,000 square-foot building.

“Our biggest hurdle is handling and displaying [the thousands] of coats,” Donald said.

His wife, Joanne, added that she’s been overwhelmed by the  events that unfolded.

“It’s in God’s hands,” she said. “It’s a big undertaking.”

The truck will deliver the load of donations on Friday, and volunteers will stay until Sunday, with rooms and food provided by Well Springs and its parishioners. 

In Beckley, the efforts to get the word out have been shared by the local sheriff’s office and the school division. Schools have announced that jackets will be available for students in need, and the entire community has come together to promote the philanthropic endeavor. 

Nidermaier was hopeful to attend the journey over the mountains, but she decided to stay in Louisa due to health concerns. 

She’s been married for 62 years to her husband, James, and the pair have their hands full with keeping their property in order. 

James said that he was excited that his wife has joined in the giving. 

“As long as they enjoy it, more power to ‘em,” he said. 

Nidermaier said that she has enjoyed the knitting, and she hopes to continue making hats throughout the coming years. 

  

-Published in the Nov. 12, 2009 edition of The Central Virginian.

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'You don't have time to have fear': Darien's Walsh recalls days as WWII dive bomber

 

Anti-aircraft shells explode in black puffs around George Walsh as he flies his Helldiver around the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in February of 1945. Below him, thousands of U.S. Marines disembark from landing crafts to face an enemy 18,000-strong in a campaign to capture this strategic location from Japanese forces.

Fighter planes strafe the mountainous terrain and bombers drop napalm on the beach, igniting the territory in a devastating inferno. But Lt. Cmdr. Walsh has no intention of joining the fight — at least not this time. "We flew up and down that landing area of Iwo Jima, filming the attack," remembers Walsh, now 90.

In the gunner position of his plane, a photographer captures the carnage on celluloid for the U.S. Navy archives while Walsh avoids being shot. "Any pictures you see of action and that battle were taken from my plane," he says. "I've always been interested in photography, I still am."

On Memorial Day, Walsh will speak in Washington, D.C., about the role that dive bombers played during World War II, a subject that captivates his attention. The nonagenarian produced a DVD about the Battle of Midway and the lack of official recognition given the dive bombers by the U.S. armed forces.

The Kiso's demise

Walsh was a dive bomber pilot with Air Group 80 aboard the carrier Ticonderoga, part of Task Force 38.3. His artistic leanings as a photographer contrast with his toughness in battle. He received the Navy's Distinguished Flying Cross after dive-bombing and sinking the Kiso — a Japanese light cruiser — off the coast of Manila in 1944.

The Kiso came into sight as Walsh led two other Helldivers over a small hole in an overcast sky. "The Japanese could hear us coming," he remembered. "They had focused their guns on that hole."

Determined to make an attack, Walsh leads his team through the onslaught of artillery fire. He tilts his plane vertical and descends at full speed. In his sights, the Kiso grows bigger until it fills his windshield. Two seconds before impact, he releases his 1,000-pound bomb onto the Kiso's deck, then pulls up and away from the explosion, skirting just 50 feet above the water at 150-plus mph.

"You don't have time to have fear," he said. "You're too busy to think. I didn't look back to see what happened with the bomb. I got the report from my gunner." His fellow bombers followed suit, scoring direct hits and sending the Kiso to Davy Jones' Locker.

The Kiso was the last of five light cruisers built by the Japanese Imperial Navy. Many of the crewmen on board survived the attack, and the Kiso's demise was a stern psychological blow to an otherwise dangerous Japanese fleet.

Walsh estimated that he flew roughly 90 missions while serving in the Pacific Theater during the war. Of those, he reckoned he made 25 dive bomb attacks on Japanese war craft.

Lt. Cmdr. George Walsh

Into the cockpit

Growing up in Brooklyn during the depression, Walsh learned to fly before he learned to drive. Like many young men at the time, Walsh was inspired by Eddie Rickenbacker and the flying aces of World War I. And after seeing pictures of his cousins in trenches at the western front, his desire to be in the sky solidified. "If I'm gonna die in battle, I want it to be clean and quick in an airplane," he said.

Death was never far away during his training. "There were casualties every step of the way," he remembered. The enemies a pilot faced during training included accidents, equipment malfunctions and simple mistakes. There was only one difference between flying in combat and training, according to Walsh.

"The fact that somebody's shooting at you is different, but you do the same thing anyway," he said. "It's a question of following the leader and doing what you were trained to do."

The truth about Midway

Now retired after 50 years as an advertising executive and 15 years as an investment consultant, Walsh focuses on educating the public on the often misunderstood role that dive bombers played in the war to end all wars.

He contends that torpedo bombers and war craft vessels received most of the recognition by historians, but dive bombers sank four Japanese carriers at Battle of Midway — a turning point at the Pacific front.

Previous attacks on Midway failed, leaving the U.S. fleet crippled by Japanese counter-attack. The dive bombers represented the last chance for U.S. to gain control. Led by Wade McClusky and Max Leslie, the dive bombers went past the point of no return, knowing that it was "kill or be killed."

"If they didn't destroy the (Japanese), the (Japanese) would turn around and launch planes and destroy our carriers," Walsh said. "Once they committed to ambush the Japanese fleet, they were committed."

Walsh also challenges the official claim that Admiral Chester Nimitz was responsible for the successful attack on Midway — a small Pacific island that was a key strategic location for offensive maneuvering. "Nimitz was a submarine officer, he was not a Naval aviator," Walsh said. "He would never have conceived this plan."

It was the perseverance of McClusky — an Annapolis graduate who was 41 at the time — that saved the day for Nimitz, Walsh said. But history has largely ignored McClusky's heroism, and it wasn't until 10 years after his death in 1989 that the Navy named a frigate after him.

For the last 22 years Walsh has studied Naval history and worked to promote the memory of the World War II dive bombers — an airplane fleet responsible for sinking 173 Japanese war craft, compared with 39 for the entire surface Navy. He even writes several online blogs on the subject, making him the self-proclaimed "oldest blogger on the Internet."

Orders from Gen. MacArthur

Wartime anecdotes emerge from Walsh's memory with crisp clarity and unashamed honesty. His adventures of merging flight and photos didn't end at Iwo Jima, either. Gen. Douglas MacArthur commissioned his division to map the city of Manila after landing at Leyte, Philippines. So Walsh gutted his SB2C Helldiver and replaced the bomb bay with a K-56 aerial camera and his gunner was told to shoot photos instead of bullets.

The day was overcast, and the roar of his engine a mere hum in his ears after hundreds of training flights and numerous missions. Two fighters covered him, but as he descended through the clouds to begin taking pictures, the fighters didn't follow. "So here I am, all alone flying at 2,000 feet over Manila," he recalled. "I could see the Japanese on the roofs of the buildings shooting at me, but they were small-caliber weapons. Then, after a while, they unloaded with the heavy anti-aircraft."

The attack forced Walsh to alter his straight flight path to a zig-zag pattern. "I had to take evasive actions," he said. "Then, as we turned to go south, the photographer in the back yelled out, 'Mr. Walsh, there's a fighter on our tail!'"

Walsh looked back and a Japanese Oscar was creeping towards the vulnerable filmmakers. "That was the end of my photo activities," he quipped. "I advanced the throttle to get a little speed and pulled up into the overcast. I made a turn to the east that managed to throw the fighter off."

He later learned that the Oscar performed the same evasive action against the U.S. fighters that had covered him as he photographed Manila. When the Oscar chased Walsh, the U.S. fighters engaged the Oscar. "He avoided them by flying into the clouds," Walsh said with a laugh.

Memorial Day

He and his late wife, Anne, have four children and seven grandchildren. As he celebrates another Memorial Day to remember those who have fallen in service to their country, Walsh is reflective. When asked what Memorial Day means to him, Walsh pauses to allow room for something meaningful to surface.

He scratches his chin, breathes deep through his nose. Outside his house in Darien, several birds chirp and a few wild turkeys wobble up to the glass door that opens onto a patio encased in flora. His eyes pierce forward, perhaps searching for the right words in a sea of cliché sentiments. Finally he speaks.

"The fact that there is a Memorial Day," he says with certainty. "It's nice to know the people of this country appreciate the veterans and those who've been killed."

Satisfied with keeping his comment poignantly simple, he rises from his chair and meanders past a wall of service memories. A library of World War II history books lurks in the corner. While his service to his country is a noble memory, his contribution to separating historical fact from fiction may prove his most lasting effect.

Fellow World War II dive bomber Capt. Chuck Downey testified to Walsh's ability to ignite the torch and then carry it. Walsh's "pursuit of accuracy and thoroughness through years of painstaking study provided this final testimony," Downey writes, regarding Walsh's DVD about the Battle of Midway dive bombers. "You can be very proud and deserve all salutes received."

- Published in the May 26, 2011 edition of The Darien Times

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Holy oil change, it's the Batmobile!

Holy bucket of bat-bolts, it's the Batmobile! A downtown Darien service station drew crowds late last week as it revitalized a 1966 Batmobile — a replica of the speedsters built for the famous “Batman” television series of the same decade.

Vince DeRentiis, owner of Darien Auto Specialists on the Post Road, played host to scores of Darienites who were lured by the dangerous curves of this dark beast.

“It’s not every day that you get to work on something like this,” DeRentiis said, as he paused from entertaining questions from curious passersby. “It really brings back memories… It’s awesome.”

DeRentiis needed to replace some wires and fix the starting circuitry, he said, but getting to work proved difficult as the Batmobile attracted nearly everyone who crossed its path. People of all ages, genders and backgrounds swarmed the black Lincoln, taking pictures and checking out the assortment of gadgets and technology that in the 1960s was über-futuristic.

There’s the Detect-A-Scope built into the passenger-side dashboard to track villains using radar. The red Bat Phone sits in the center console — a bat-winged handset wired to a base where push-button numbers sit, waiting to dial Commissioner Gordon to head-off the Joker during a chase. The Emergency Bat-Turn Lever dangles from the ceiling, ready to eject a parachute during a hairpin turn at high speeds. Every gadget just begs for a demonstration, even if many aren’t working.

One of the first things DeRentiis explored was the flame-throwing exhaust in the rear of the car. “This one doesn’t haven’t it,” he said, frowning in disappointment.

Luckily the engine parts are not customized and are relatively easy to find, he added. “I can’t call ahead and say I need a starter for the Batmobile,” DeRentiis said with a laugh.

A woman sees the car and calls out from the sidewalk. “What is that? Where did it come from? Did you buy it on eBay?” she asks, smiling broadly and trotting towards DeRentiis.

The inquiring visitor is Gwynne Campbell, owner of Sylvan Learning Center on Brook Street. She and DeRentiis quickly dive into a conversation about old television shows. “He’s the best car guy in town,” Campbell said of DeRentiis, noting that it’s no surprise that the Batmobile’s owner came to him for work.

The owner of the car declined to be interviewed by The Darien Times. But he did say that the car was recently sold. Although the selling price was not confirmed, rumors floating around at the gas station indicated the car went for $125,000.

“The guy who engineered this thing put a lot of time and effort into it,” DeRentiis said. The design of the original Batmobile stems from a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. The American Broadcasting Company commissioned car designer George Barris to create the Batmobile for the TV series and gave him three weeks to complete the task. Barris decided to use the Futura because it already had design elements he was looking for, according to the 1966Batmobile.com Web site.

The original Futura cost $250,000 to build and never went into production, but survived as the basis for one of the most iconic vehicles in popular culture.

Although Ford built the body, DeRentiis said that the Batmobile at his shop had a 350 small block Chevrolet engine. “It was built for performance and horsepower,” he said.

California-based car designer Jay Ohrberg designed a 1966 Batmobile replica and also designed the Batmobile used in Tim Burton’s 1992 film, “Batman Returns.” Ohrberg said that the Darien Batmobile was likely one of hundreds of replicas made since the 1960s.

“The original ones had Ford engines,” Ohrberg said in a phone interview. “People all over the U.S., all over the world, are building these things.”

Originally, ABC only built one car, but decided to build three more with fiberglass frames like the original, according to the official Web site. A fifth car with a metal frame was built by a fan and later added to the list of official replicas. Three of the cars have owners listed on the Web site, and one of the cars was reportedly sold in 2000 for $212,000 to an unknown buyer who recently sold it for an undisclosed amount. There are only five official replicas, according to Barris, and only one has an unknown owner.

Ohrberg’s metal-framed reproduction was licensed to be built by Warner Bros. but is not considered an official replica by most fans. Regardless, Ohrberg’s Batmobile fetched $233,000 in a 2007 London auction. Bloomberg News reported that the auction entertained bids from around the world. Another unofficial replica sold for $216,000 at an auction in Florida.

George Barris owns the first car built, and it is valued at $2 million. Its 1966 value was $125,000, according to the Web site.

D.C. Comics recently licensed Indiana-based company Fiberglass Freaks to produce ’66 Batmobile replicas that sell for $150,000. These cars have working flame-throwers, however, they are built with General Motors engines, like the one from Darien.

Hollywood created five more incarnations of the Caped Crusader’s hot rod since Barris’s original design. These cars burned into the public consciousness after decades of marketing and cultural impregnation through movies, theme parks and various memorabilia. The most recent Batmobile hit the streets in film versions of Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight” series. A far cry from Barris’s choice to use sharp curves and wing shapes, the 21st Century Batmobile’s angular and ferocious design seems reminiscent of a Humvee crossed with a Lamborghini.

Batman originally appeared in Detective Comic’s no. 27 issue published in May 1939. The Batmobile is said to be his most important weapon. The Batman TV show aired only two years, from 1966-1968, but its legacy extends beyond generations.

Ohrberg also designed KITT, the Pontiac Trans Am used in the 1980s series “Knight Rider.” He also had a hand in the DeLorean used in “Back to the Future.” But his experience building the Batmobile stands out.

“I still get a lot of calls from people wanting to buy parts to make their own (Batmobile),” he said.

- Published in the April 28, 2011 edition of The Darien Times

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