About Joan J. “Superman” Duran

Joan “Superman” Duran was a friend to many. It was rare to see Joan not smiling, laughing and making others do the same.

The Boston Globe so aptly described him:

He could outrun pit bulls on neighborhood streets and lift hundreds of pounds over his head. When his car flipped over three times on a highway, he pulled a shred of glass from his eye and calmly walked away. He even dressed the part, filling his closet with Superman T-shirts and sleeping under Man of Steel bedsheets.

It was tough not to feel energized around Joan, as his passion and motivation rubbed off on anyone in proximity to him. It was this energy and ability to defy odds that led to Joan being called Superman.

Unfortunately, even the Dominican Superman was not invincible, as Joan lost his life in Iraq defending the United States on August 10th, 2007.

A 2002 graduate of the Boston Latin School and resident of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Joan is and will be missed by many. But, his legacy of helping friends, family, and anyone else in need lives on.