Super tribute for a super friend

STERLING - The funny thing about Superman is that nobody recognized him until he ducked into a phone booth and donned his super suit. Without the suit, he was a mild-mannered nobody - utterly forgettable. In some ways, 18-year-old Zane Ryan was the opposite of the Man of Steel, the comic book hero of whom Zane was a fan.

While some kids are defined by their clothes - be it a letterman's jacket, cheerleading uniform, etc. - Zane easily moved among the various cliques of Sterling High School without being defined. He was president of the Crimestoppers Club, a member of the swim team his freshman and sophomore years, and in the school choir.

March 23, after finishing his paper route, Zane went home and died suddenly of acute bronchopneumonia.

His death was a blow to the many students and teachers he touched. As a testament to those friendships, about 250 Sterling students faculty and staff gathered Friday to remember him. Most were decked out in bright blue T-shirts designed by senior Scott Wolber, 18, who knew Zane since middle school and through the St. Paul Lutheran Youth Group.

The shirts were emblazoned with an emblem reminiscent of Superman's costume, but in place of the S was a Z, a fitting tribute to a young man who wasn't easily labeled.