When ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroitβs first issue dropped in May 1996, the Detroit Tigers still prowled Michigan and Trumbull avenues. Kwame Kilpatrick was a 26-year-old teacher campaigning to fill his motherβs Michiganβs House of Representatives seat. Quicken Loans was still Rock Financial; Dan Gilbert had yet to buy skyscrapers.
Weβve seen a lot of change in two decades: rising and falling political fortunes, opening and closing restaurants, successful and not-so-successful sports and entertainment personalities, automaker bailouts, city bankruptcies, and more.
Weβve been ahead of the curve (and occasionally, behind it). In 1997, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was alive and putting out a CD of jazz music. We covered Avalon bakery staking a claim on βCass Corridorβsβ mean streets. Arabic food was getting βdiscovered.β And why did The Metropolitan Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau contract a California firm to βrebrandβ Detroit?
Yet the more things change, the more they remain the same. Mayor Dennis Archerβs nemesis, The Tiger Stadium Fan Club, fought the proposed Comerica Park. Today, the Navin Field Grounds Crew has been battling to keep The Cornerβs hallowed ground natural grass. Long before Slow Roll, we chronicled Detroitβs growing bike culture. We even complained about Mitch Albomβs overexposure.
As early as 1997, we also mentioned βhipstersβ at a Hamtramck bar. Presumably, some of them procreated β¦ and their kids are now of hipster age. So can we retire the term, already?
To celebrate our anniversary, we took a trip down memory lane, catching up with some of the people and issues weβve talked about over the years. We hope you enjoy the ride.
βΜύSteve Wilke
Kate Peckham
βActress on the Vergeβ
By Veronica Pasfield, Summer 1996
(Premiere issue)
The Backstory
±α΄Η³ά°ωβs first cover featured Kate Peckham. The βup-and-comingβ 24-year-old actress was interviewed by then-editor Veronica Pasfield in Hamtramckβs Planet Ant coffeehouse. At the time, she starred in the Purple Rose Theatreβs The Harmony Codes, and also appeared in the independent film Get the Hell Out of Hamtown. Soon she would head to Los Angeles, and told ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ she dreamed of opening her own theater in Detroit with Hollywood money.
Twenty years later, we meet her again at a coffee shop, this time at Ferndaleβs Red Hook. Peckham says she wasnβt even supposed to be on the cover, but the original plan fell through.
βI had no idea that it was a big deal. I remember when I went to the photo shoot, I didnβt even wash my hair. I was just like, whatever,β Peckham says, laughing. βIβm pretty sure thatβs going to be the only time Iβm on the cover of a magazine!β
Notable/Quotable
βDetroit is the kind of place that builds character because you donβt have everything in front of you. You have to make your own work if you are going to do what you want to do.β
Since 1996?
Peckham switched to film after getting cast in Lost on the Bohemian Road, which filmed in Grand Rapids. It screened at the first-ever Los Angeles Independent Film festival and later got picked up by the Sundance Channel. Peckham then headed to Los Angeles to try to make it as an actress. βIt was really humbling. My experience was mostly theater here, and nobody in L.A. gave a crap about that,β she says.
After years of auditions and rejections, Peckham had enough. (One of her few credited roles is βQuiet Girlβ in Almost Famous; she also appeared in the Michigan-made Jeff Daniels movie, Super Sucker.) She switched gears and became an acting teacher.
Since 2010, sheβs taught acting at Michigan Actors Studio. βThatβs one of the things I really missed, moving back from L.A. β¦ Everyone is always studying. Even if youβre a working actor, youβre still in class every week unless youβre really busy,β she says. βThat culture doesnβt exist here, of continual learning, so I wanted to start an ongoing scene study class.β
Sheβs married to fellow stage actor Chris Korte (βI actually was a fan of his acting before we even started dating,β she says), and raising her 3-year-old son, Adam. But she looks back fondly on her acting career.
βIt was exciting. A lot of the people who were living and working in Detroit have gone on to be pretty successful in different areas of the industry,β she says. She remembers appearing in the Planet Antβs first performance as a theater, which was directed by fellow U-D theater major Keegan-Michael Key β who went on to find success in Key & Peele.
βYou can look at it one way, like, oh, she didnβt make it,β Peckham says. βBut I donβt feel that way. Life leads you in a different path. The last 20 years have been a pretty amazing ride.β
Jeff Daniels
βWhatβs Dogginβ Jeff Daniels?β
By Veronica Pasfield, Winter 1996-1997
The Backstory
Following his success alongside Jim Carrey in 1994βs comedy smash hit Dumb and Dumber and with Keanu Reeves in Speed, actor Danielsβ star was rising fast. In 1996 alone, he appeared in three movies β Fly Away Home, 2 Days in the Valley, and 101 Dalmatians β prompting ±α΄Η³ά°ωβs Veronica Pasfield to ask, βWhat other actor on the silver screen could have three major releases in as many months and not make the cover of Entertainment Weekly (²β±π³Ω)?β
At the time, the then-41-year-old was balancing long stretches in Los Angeles while maintaining a family in Michigan, and contemplating an early retirement β with plans to back out of the business and focus on his Chelsea-based Purple Rose Theatre.
Notable/Quotable
A chance encounter with director Marshall Mason landed Daniels a role as Dr. John Buchanan in an Eastern Michigan University production of Summer and Smoke: βI looked over at him and I thought either that is some big, dumb football player who has wandered into the wrong building and doesnβt know it, or I might be able to cast Dr. John.β
βI did three independent movies with good scripts, and thatβs not what you do when youβre trying to be the biggest star. β¦ Part of the reason β¦ is that Iβm not an actor. Iβm an artist. My salary dropped by two-thirds because out in Hollywood they donβt care. Add to it that Iβm living in Michigan and Iβm not married to someone famous and Iβm not in rehab.β
Since 1996?
In the early 2000s, Daniels wrote, directed, and starred in the Yooper comedy Escanaba in da Moonlight, which premiered as a play at his Purple Rose Theatre. Far from retiring, Daniels is as visible as ever today. From 2012-14, Daniels starred as Will McAvoy in the HBO drama The Newsroom (earning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series). Most recently, he reprised his co-starring role in the 2014 sequel, Dumb and Dumber To, and landed big roles in 2015βs The Martian and Steve Jobs.
Kimberly Camp
βCan Kim Campβs Museum Bridge a Racial Divide?β
By Nichole Christian, March/April 1997
The Backstory
The International Afro-American Museum, founded in 1965 by Dr. Charles Wright and others, had outgrown a small building on West Grand Boulevard, then outgrew another building. In 1992, Detroit voters authorized bond sales to build a new 125,000-square-foot facility. New Jersey native Kimberly Camp was hired to make the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History into a world-class facility. In the 1980s, Camp gained national attention as an artist for her Kimkins dolls. ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ profiled Camp prior to the museumβs April 1997 opening.
Quotable/Notable
βWhat happens at that pivotal point in the exhibit (tracing 400 years of the African experience in America) when the black folksβ and the white folksβ eyes meet? What do they walk away from that (moment) with? We decided that it had to be with a feeling that we are people, and weβre all in it together.β
Since 1997?
Camp left Detroit in late 1998 to become CEO of the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Penn. There was some controversy and a court case over the late Albert C. Barnesβ instructions, but the foundation prevailed and moved its Cezannes, Matisses, and other pieces to a now successful Philadelphia site. Camp resigned from the Barnes in 2005. She went to the Pacific Northwest to work as CEO of The Hanford Reach Interpretive Center in Richland, Wash. She teaches at Lincoln University in Chester County Pennsylvania and Drexel University. She also owns Galerie Marie in Collingswood, N.J.
Camp has fond memories of her time in the Motor City, adding: βDetroitβs social structure is light years ahead of other cities. Itβs the only place I know where people truly look out for each other. I would move back in a New York minute! People keep counting Detroit out, but it ainβt going nowhere! I had fun every minute I was there.β
Freman Hendrix
βThe Next Mayor of Detroit?β By Jack Lessenberry, March 2008
βCan He Win?β By Darci McConnell, September 2005
The Backstory
After Mayor Dennis Archer elevated Freman Hendrix to be his deputy mayor, there was talk he was being groomed for the top job. While he didnβt run in 2001 (Kwame Kilpatrick prevailed over the late Gil Hill), Hendrix ran in 2005. Prior to that, Hendrix was the first African-American to direct a Democratic presidential campaign in Michigan, working on President Bill Clintonβs successful re-election bid in 1996.
Quotable/Notable
(1998) βI went representing the county to a Democratic Leadership Council convention in Cleveland in 1991 and met Bill Clinton β¦Μύ (Later) I remember sitting in (Wayne County Chief Executive) McNamaraβs office and saying, βMac, this is the guy we should get behind.ββ
(2005) βWhat Detroiters will not give a mayor a pass on is being dishonest, being untrustworthy, and not being up front. What people tell me in Detroit is that theyβve lost that in this mayor.β
Since 2005?
Despite besting Kilpatrick by 10 percent in the primary, Hendrix lost the 2005 election. After Kilpatrickβs resignation, Hendrix ran again, but placed third in the primary behind Dave Bing (who won the 2009 general election) and Kenneth Cockrel Jr. Hendrix was voted to the Charter Revision Commission but resigned in September 2010 to join the Greektown (now βJackβ) Casino Hotel board of directors.
Mayor Mike Duggan recently tapped Hendrix as the cityβs appointment on the Regional Transit Authorityβs 10-member board. Hendrix owns Advanced Security and Investigative Solutions and is also a partner in Brush Park Development LLC, βmostly as an investor,β he says. βItβs extremely important in the grand scheme of whatβs going on (in Detroit). The first real significant multi-use residential development close to downtown in a long time.β
Hendrix loves baseball, and he had a hand in getting the Comerica Park deal done. But his proudest accomplishment is helping form the Grandmont Rosedale Little League in 1992. βWe started in my living room with three or four other parents,β he says. βI was able to leverage my role to do something very, very good for kids in Northwest Detroit.β
βKids that have come through that program are all in their early 30s now and (many have) gone off to college and become fine, productive citizens,β Hendrix says. The league now serves some 600 children and their families.
Elmore Leonard
βBe Coolβ
By Ric Bohy, May 1998
The Backstory
After toiling for decades writing dozens of Westerns and crime fiction, Michigan-based novelist Elmore Leonard was arguably at the apex of his career, being dubbed the βDickens of Detroitβ in 1984 by Time magazine (though he often dismissed the title as mere wordplay). In 1995, his story Get Shorty was adapted into an acclaimed film starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito, and Rum Punch was the source for 1997βs Jackie Brown, directed by Quentin Tarantino. At the time, the then-72-year-old author was working on a sequel to Get Shorty called Be Cool.Μύ
Notable/Quotable
βIβm too old to learn another town now. β¦ Itβs like people say, βWhy donβt you direct?β β¦ God, I canβt learn a new trade now.β
βΖΰ³ά°ωΎ±²Τ²΅ Get Shorty, Barry Sonnenfeld, the director, came over and said, βWhat do you think? Do you have any suggestions?β This has to be the first time in the history of Hollywood a director ever asked a novelist β more often than not, they donβt even know who the guy is β if he has any suggestions.β
Since 1998?
Be Cool was published in 1999 and made into a film in 2005, though the adaptation was a critical failure. His final work was 2012βs Raylan, based on the FX television series Justified, which was in turn based on his own short story Fire in the Hole. On Aug. 20, 2013, he died in his Bloomfield Hills home due to complications from a stroke at the age of 87. His son, Peter, is also a crime novelist; Peterβs son Alex is the drummer in the popular rock band Protomartyr.
Selma Blair
βShooting Starβ
By Julie Weingarden, March 2000
The Backstory
The year before, the Southfield native scored a breakthrough role in Cruel Intentions, which featured a buzzed-about scene in which Selma locked lips with Sarah Michelle Gellar. The then-27-year-old actress was also set to appear in Vanity Fairβs upcoming Hollywood issue.
Notable/Quotable
βPeople donβt think of Southfield as beautiful, but there is this area by my house that is like a state park. I started taking pictures of myself in eighth grade and Iβd tell stories. They were like little movies.β
βThey try to make it sound like I hang out with Eminem and Kid Rock all the time, like I lived this wild existence in Michigan. Meanwhile, I sat with friends in the basement playing Scrabble.ββ
Since 2000?
In 2002, she co-starred in Highway alongside Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal. Since then, Blair has been landing roles in numerous films, including blockbusters like Hellboy and Legally Blonde.
In 2012, Blair co-starred alongside Charlie Sheen in FXβs Anger Management as Sheenβs therapist and love interest. It was Sheenβs first role since being fired from Two and a Half Men. Despite breaking a ratings record for the most-watched sitcom premiere, the show was a critical flop, and conflicts between Blair and Sheen caused Blair to leave in the middle of the second season.
Earlier this year, she played the role of Kris Jenner in the FX miniseries The People v. O. J. Simpson, the first season of American Crime Story. Reportedly, Blair and Jenner have since become friends. According to Blairβs Instagram account, she still occasionally visits Michigan, and often waxes nostalgic about the time she spent at Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School.
Brendan Shanahan
βBlade Runnerβ
By Lynn Henning, March 2001
The Backstory
When Brendan Shanahan was traded to the Red Wings in 1996, the team had gone 42 years without a Stanley Cup. Over the next two years, with Shanahan firmly planted as a top line forward, the Wings won back-to-back cups. βShannyβ quickly became a fan favorite in Detroit for his scoring ability, steady play, and fighting prowess. In the pages of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit, however, Shanahan displayed his βintellectualβ side, discussing his literary, film, and TV favorites.
Quotable/Notable
βShanahanβs been called an βintellectual,β a tag he laughs at. But he has such a ravenous curiosity that it wouldnβt be entirely out of the question to find him on one of the Red Wingsβ charter flights, his Celtic nose buried in one of the literary classics he enjoyed as a youth. It might even be a bit of Shakespeare β well, maybe if it were tucked into the aircraftβs seat back.β
Since 2001?
From 2011-14, the former Wing served as senior vice president of the NHL, overseeing the leagueβs Department of Player Safety and helping shape the NHLβs disciplinary protocols β a bit ironic considering Shannyβs reputation as an on-ice agitator. In 2014, he left that role for his current position as team president and alternate governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Alexi Lalas
βLetβs Playβ
By George Bulanda, May 2001
The Backstory
Panayotis Alexander βAlexiβ Lalas had just come out of retirement to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. American soccerβs most recognizable ambassador, the Birmingham native had retired in 1999. The defender played in the 1992 and β96 Olympic Games and was on the β94 and β98 World Cup teams. He also had played for the New England Revolution, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, and the Kansas City Wizards. He was the only American to play in Italyβs fabled Serie A league.
Quotable/Notable
βFrom the start of his career,ΜύLalas has had his fingers in more pies than Little Jack Horner, not only playing soccer, but working β¦ as a host and commentator for ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, and Nickelodeon, and as ad spokesman for Gibson Guitars, Dunkinβ Donuts, 7-Eleven Slurpees, Gargoyles sunglasses, Adidas and other products.β
Since 2001?
While with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Lalas won the CONCACAF Championsβ Cup, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and MLS Cup. He retired in 2002, then was general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, and Los Angeles Galaxy. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006. He is based in California and works as an analyst for Fox Sports.
Kwame Kilpatrick
βAn Interview with the Mayor of Motownβ By Jack Lessenberry, February 2003
βCan He Win?β By Vickie Thomas, September 2005
The Backstory
In 2001, Kwame Kilpatrick was elected Detroitβs youngest mayor in modern history. βOur Future β Right Here; Right Now!β was his campaign slogan. In February 2003, Kilpatrick looked back on his first year in office, after nailing down a casino deal, riverfront development, and a few snafus. βThere is absolutely no truth (about wild parties). We hear new ones every day,β he said. βI think the reason that it comes out is that we are sexy. I think this is a sexy administration. People tell me it is because of the earring, the way I dress.β
In 2005, Kilpatrick shared the cover with challenger Freman Hendrix, who had just bested him in the primary, with a contested election yet to come.
Quotable/Notable
(2003) And many who served, or dealt closely with past administrations, will say off the record that too many in Kwameβs army are too young, too politically clumsy, and too inexperienced. The βCass Tech Mafia,β some of the old-timers call them, the kids the mayor went to high school with.
(2005) On being dubbed the βhip-hop mayorβ early in his tenure: βIβm so much more than that. I didnβt go to law school and battle in the Legislature β¦ and graduate with honors and marry my wife and have my children to be reduced to being the hip-hop mayor. β¦ Itβs an attempt to define me so that they can confine me.β
Since 2005?
We donβt need to rehash the whole βsextingβ scandal with chief of staff, Christine Beatty, do we? Or that he resigned and pleaded guilty to two felony counts in 2008? Or that his βpay to playβ system led to his conviction on 24 federal felony counts β and a 28-year prison sentence? Or that 32 others were convicted of crimes in connection with Kilpatrick, including Bobby Ferguson, who received a 21-year jail term? Wait, we just did rehash it. (But in fewer than 80 words.)
Kilpatrick is still in the news. His attorney Harold Gurewitz filed an appeal in January 2016 to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his conviction. At press time, the court had yet to respond to the petition for a writ of certiorari, a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the record of the case for review (case No.15-7790, if youβre curious). In October 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit turned down his claim alleging prejudicial testimony from federal agents during the trial. And in December 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Ferguson.
Stay tuned. For now, Kilpatrick is in a federal prison in El Reno, Okla.
Ivan βPudgeβ Rodriguez
βGreat Catchβ
By Lynn Henning, April 2004
The Backstory
Ivan βPudgeβ Rodriguez had signed a $40 million, four-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, giving hope to the most inept club in all of baseball. The 10-time Gold Glove winner and 10-time All-Star had a lifetime batting average of .304 (not to mention he had just helped the Florida Marlins win the 2003 World Series against the hated New York Yankees). Henning wrote: βTo a beaten-down baseball community, Rodriguezβs decision to play for Detroit seemed giddily incongruous, as if a Mercedes were coming to a Yugo lot. β¦ Not a bad coup for a club that hasnβt had a winning season since 1993.β
Quotable/Notable
βPayroll had been freed up by owner Mike Ilitch, who made it plain last fall that he was sick of losing and, by implication, the recriminations of fans who have been shunning Comerica Park.β
Since 2004?
Two short years later, Rodriguez and the Tigers played in the 2006 World Series (losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games). His signing had a lasting impact, as Henning recently wrote: The βsurprise signing β¦ signaled that a franchise had bottomed out and was headed steadily north.β The Tigers went on to sign more stars, en route to several division titles and another (alas, unsuccessful) World Series berth in 2012, getting whacked by the San Francisco Giants in four straight. In July 2008, Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees for relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth. He bounced around to the Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers, and the Washington Nationals. After retiring, he worked as special assistant for the Texas Rangers, then joined Fox Sports Southwest in 2014 as an analyst. He becomes eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Bill Laimbeer
βThe Softer Side of Big Bad Billβ
By Sheryl James, May 2004
The Backstory
When Bill Laimbeer said he wanted to coach the Detroit Shock, then-Pistons owner Bill Davidson said, βBill Laimbeer? Maybe heβs changed.β And the former Bad Boy (perhaps the baddest) had indeed changed. As a first-year WNBA coach, Laimbeer took the Shock from last place to first in one year β and he did it without yelling, screaming, or sneering. He also announced Pistons games for Channel 50.
Quotable/Notable
βI went to the Pistons organization. I said, βHey, look, Iβm already doing TV with you, I believe in your organization, Iβm a Piston for life, kind of thing.ββ
Since 2004?
While he never got the top job in the NBA as a head coach, he became a respected leader in the WNBA. He spent parts of eight seasons as the Shockβs head coach and general manager, leading Detroit to a 137-93 (.596) record and winning WNBA crowns in 2003, 2006, and 2008. He then worked for two seasons as an NBA assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2009-11) before returning to the WNBA with the New York Liberty in 2013. In 2015, he won a second WNBA Coach of the Year (the first was in 2003 with the Shock) for guiding the Liberty to victory. The team finished a league-best 23-11 to complete the most successful regular season in franchise history.
Damon Keith
βDetroiter of the Yearβ
By Sheryl James, July 2004
The Backstory
Damon Keith had just helped wrangle financial commitments to pull the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History out of a financial bind. In a long and distinguished career as a judge, Keith had made some landmark decisions. He also compiled a long list of national honors (the Springarn Medal, the NAACPβs top honor, and the American Bar Associationβs Thurgood Marshall Award, to name just two). Locally, an elementary school and The Damon J. Keith Law Collection at Wayne State were named after him.
Quotable/Notable
His finest hour? Thereβs a tough decision. β¦ Was it when he stopped President Richard Nixon from subverting the U.S. Constitution in 1970? Was it when he stopped President George W. Bush from subverting the Constitution in 2002? Was it when he told Pontiac in 1972 to desegregate its schools β and stood by that order despite death threats? Or when he told Hamtramck city officials their so-called urban renewal was really βNegro removal,β and ordered restitution?
In this late stage of his career, Keith wrote what probably will be his most famous words: βDemocracies die behind closed doors.β
Since 2004?
At age 93, Keith still sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit β a spot heβs held since 1977. Born in Detroit in 1922, Keith has a masterβs in law from Wayne State University (1956). He was the subject of a book Crusader for Justice, and a recent documentary: Walk with Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith. As part of its βDetroit 1967β project, the Detroit Historical Society is collecting histories about the rebellion. One of the first people they interviewed? Keith, of course, who along with Judge John Feikens, was the first co-chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission (he served from 1964 to 1968).
Chauncey Billups
βAn Exclusive Interview with the Pistonsβ MVPβ
By George Bulanda, October 2004
The Backstory
After years of being traded and toiling on other teams, Chauncey Billups came into his own in Detroit, earning the nickname Mr. Big Shot for his game-winning heroics at sinking the threes. He was the leader of the 2004 champion Detroit Pistons, nabbing the Finals MVP trophy. The Pistonsβ 4-1 triumph over a heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers, which boasted Shaquille OβNeal and Kobe Bryant, is considered one of the greatest NBA upsets, showing that teamwork, not a superstar, wins the Larry OβBrien Championship Trophy.
Quotable/Notable
βIβve played in every arena, and thereβs nothing like these fans in Detroit. I donβt think itβs just for basketball, either. Iβve been to some Lions games, and they havenβt fared so well the last couple of years. But they sell out, and the fans go crazy. The same for hockey. Detroit gives us huge support.β
Since 2004?
Billups played for the Pistons from 2002-08, was traded to Denver (his hometown), then returned to finish his career in Detroit in 2013-14. He has said he felt his team couldβve won more championships, but they only won the one title in 2004 (they fell to the San Antonio Spurs in a grueling seven-game series the following year). After retiring, he was hired by ESPN to work as a studio analyst. In February, Billups joined his fellow 2004 champ Ben Wallace as Billupsβ jersey rose to the rafters, ensuring there will never be another No. 1 on the Pistons.
Dieter Zetsche
βLife is a Joy Ride for the Chrysler CEOβ
By Sheryl James,ΜύMay 2005
The Backstory
The mustachioed leader had been at the helm of Chrysler Group since 2000, following its 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz. Despite being thrust into the role of βthe Big Bad Germanβ who was to come in as part of a foreign takeover and slash some 26,000 jobs, Zetsche defied the odds to become one of the most liked CEOs in recent memory. Not just because the company posted profits for several years under Zetscheβs management, but it was also because of its leaderβs charismatic personality.
Notable/Quotable
βUltimately, relationships between people come down to the same values β¦ So it has nothing to do with German and American but just two groups of people coming together with all the highs and lows theyβre going through.β
βIβm not a flashy guy. Iβm bald. I have a big moustache. I wear glasses. I speak English with a bit of an accent. And I donβt mind making fun of myself β hey, thereβs just so much great material!β
Since 2005?
In 2006, Zetsche went public as the face for Chrysler, starring in the βAsk Dr. Zβ advertising campaign (the spots featured him answering customer questions, ending with him bidding the viewer βAuf Wiedersehenβ). The company posted losses in 2006, and that year Zetsche made the call to βunmergeβ Daimler and Chrysler, becoming the chairman of Daimler. In December 2008, President George W. Bush announced an emergency financial rescue plan to bail out Chrysler (and GM). In February 2016, Daimler extended Zetscheβs contract through 2019.
Carmen Harlan
Best of Detroit
June 2005
The Backstory
In ±α΄Η³ά°ωβs annual βBest of Detroitβ feature, readers voted WDIVβs Carmen Harlan the best local TV anchor, best TV hairdo (female), and best-looking TV personality (female). The string of accolades, not to mention her decades of steady reporting, made Harlan a natural choice for an ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit cover.
βIt generated a lot of excitement in my family, and for me too,β Harlan says. βI canβt wait to show my grandsons when theyβre older. Theyβll get a kick out of it.β
It wasnβt the first time ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ readers expressed their appreciation for Harlan, and it wouldnβt be the last. Harlan, whose career with WDIV began in 1978, has won or tied for Best local TV anchor (female) in ±α΄Η³ά°ωβs βBest ofβ contest in every year but one since 2004 (the category went to Rhonda Walker in 2010).
Since 2005?
As senior anchor at WDIV, Harlan continues to deliver the Local 4 news at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. The Detroit native also continues to serve as co-host during Local 4βs coverage of the Thanksgiving Parade and Detroitβs annual fireworks show.
Reflecting on her career to date, Harlan says sheβs watched her hometown βbottom out and turn the corner,β and through it all, sheβs been grateful for the opportunities and people sheβs met along the way. βDetroit has given back to me in so many ways,β Harlan says. βAll I can say is thank you, because Iβve appreciated doing it.β
Steve Yzerman
βThe Captainβ
By John Niyo, November 2005
The Backstory
Beloved Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman had spent 21 seasons in the NHL, and after three Stanley Cups, 1,755 NHL points (seventh all-time), and a battle-scarred body to prove it, the writing was on the wall: Yzermanβs 22nd season was going to be his last.
Yzerman hung up his skates on July 3, 2006, (eight months after our profile). But questions regarding his future were buzzing long before that: βWhat will Stevie do next?β βHow will the Wings fare without him?β βHow do you properly celebrate the career of the longest reigning NHL captain?β
Ever the humble leader, Yzerman refused to soak in the spotlight, consistently deflecting retirement rumors to discuss the team, telling Detroit News sportswriter John Niyo:
βMostly it takes the focus off what the team is trying to accomplish, you know?β Yzerman says. βYouβve got young guys here trying to prove themselves. β¦Everyone wants to do well. And (retirement talk) just distracts from all of that. β¦Μύ Itβs not about a player or an individual. Itβs a professional team trying to win games.β
Quotable/Notable
βOne day, a mysterious kid arrived from the north, a good-looking teenager who said little, but possessed magical skills. Blazing speed. Quick hands. Selfless. And man, could he take a punch. The Wings were dazzled β and crowned the kid their leader. With little fanfare, he stepped up, growing into a man as he guided them to glorious victories and a bounty of treasured cups and rings beyond their wildest dreams.β
Since 2005?
A managerial role always seemed inevitable for Stevie Y. After four seasons with the Red Wings as a vice president, Yzerman was hired in 2010 as general manager and vice president of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Under his leadership, the Lightning secured playoff berths in three of the past five seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2015. Continuing his long legacy of success, Yzerman won the NHLβs manager of the year award in 2015.
Michael Moore
βMr. Nice Guy?β
By Anthony Bozza, July 2006
The Backstory
In 2005, Michael Moore had launched The Traverse City Film Festival. It admitted more than 50,000 people and generated an estimated $5 million in revenue for local businesses. Former Rolling Stone staff writer Anthony Bozza interviewed Moore to find out how a spontaneous gesture became, in the words of one local newspaper, the greatest event to hit the area βsince the Ice Age.β And how, for the love of film, he put politics aside.
Quotable/Notable
βIn the business community up there, you generally have fairly conservative people β mostly conservative Republicans. And now β¦ they are our biggest boosters and supporters. β¦ Theyβve gotten to know me as Michael Moore the human being, not as Michael Moore the fictional character created by the Fox News Channel (and) that: number one, I love this country; two, I care deeply about our soldiers; and three, they end up having a good laugh while watching my films, too.β
βWe will also have a salute to Iranian film. There has been a growing and wonderful movement in Iranian cinema in recent years. β¦ Personally, I also just think itβs important to know people before you bomb them β¦
Since 2006?
The filmmaker from Roger & Me and the Academy Award-winning Bowling for Columbine fame was finishing up Sicko, his 2007 film about health care. The Traverse City Film Festival regularly draws more than 100,000 admissions. This yearβs event is July 26-31.
In January 2016, Moore endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. His latest film, Where to Invade Next, was released in December 2015. The premise is that he βinvadesβ other countries to learn about policies that might help Americans, only to find many of the ideas actually originated here. They held free screenings in Mooreβs hometown of Flint, which has been in the news for its water issues.
Dave Bing
βBΎ±²Τ²΅΄Η!β
By Jim McFarlin, July 2007
The Backstory
The former Detroit Pistons star was the 2007 βDetroiter of the Year.β His automotive supply firm Bing Group had gross sales of $200 million. In 2007, he announced plans for a luxury residential community called The Watermark Detroit on former cement factory land. He was also involved with the Next Detroit Neighborhood Initiative to demolish abandoned homes and replace vacant lots with affordable homes and βrecreational greenbelts.β
Quotable/Notable
βIβm not anti-poor. I mean, that was my background. But on the river, no, thatβs not for poor people at all. β¦ Look at the major (American) cities, and we are still one. β¦ We happen to be one that has an almost totally undeveloped riverfront. β¦ I think itβs the most valuable property that the city of Detroit has.β
Since 2007?
After Kwame Kilpatrick resigned, Bing ran for mayor and defeated Interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. He took office in May 2009. He was re-elected to a full term in November 2009, besting businessman Tom Barrow. Recession and automaker woes didnβt exactly deal Bing a very good hand. In 2013, the city declared bankruptcy and Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Kevyn Orr as emergency manager. Bing decided not to run for re-election. βI think bankruptcy, though none of us wanted it, is probably the best thing to get some of the debt off of our balance sheet,β he said. More recently, he formed the Bing Youth Institute. Earlier this year, Bing commented on Detroitβs recent resurgence, saying, βBlack contractors and developers find themselves on the outside looking in. When given an opportunity, itβs minuscule.β
David Gilbert
Restaurant of the Year, Forest Grill
By Molly Abraham, March 2009
The Backstory
Forest Grill, the 2009 Restaurant of the Year, was Brian Polcynβs creation, but David Gilbert ran the show. As executive chef at the Birmingham restaurant, Gilbert had full direction of the menu. He was a former apprentice at Polcynβs Five Lakes Grill in Milford before going to the Culinary Institute of America, and worked stints in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. Before taking the helm at Forest Grill, Gilbert worked at the Townsend Hotel. Gilbert may have the golden touch: He was the main chef at Rugby Grille in the Townsend Hotel when it was picked as Restaurant of the Year in 2000, followed by Forest Grill in 2009, and then Marais in 2014.
Quotable/Notable
βWe really like talking about food, and ideas we both have.β (Gilbert on his relationship with Polcyn.)
Since 2009?
Since moving on from Forest Grill, Gilbert opened Marais, the modern French dining restaurant, which was ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroitβs Restaurant of the Year in 2014. Christopher Cook wrote: βBarely six months old, Marais, the elegant and sensational new Grosse Pointe restaurant, at last reaches the level of fine dining of other cities.β Like his mentor, Gilbert takes the opportunity to groom the next generation in Detroit, where the chef community is more collaborative than cutthroat.
In the 2014 story, Cook quoted Gilbert as saying: βThe guys Iβm cultivating right now (as kitchen staff) are theΜύnext generation of chefs in Detroit. Thatβs my goal. TheyΜύand those who follow them will have not just the skill set, but the ability to say βmy obligation is not only to do this,Μύbut to give back.βββ
Kid Rock
βΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroitβs 2009 Detroiter of the Yearβ
By Jim McFarlin, July 2009
The Backstory
In years past, ±α΄Η³ά°ωβs βDetroiter of the Yearβ title had gone to titans of local industry, political powerhouses, urban developers, and military moms. But 2009 wasnβt typical. GM and Chrysler were filing for bankruptcy, and financial leaders were finally coming up for air from the Great Recession. As such, the 2009 Detroiter of the year title went to an atypical recipient: 38-year-old Romeo native Robert James Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock.
It was a big year for the Detroit rocker/rapper. His βMade in Detroitβ brand, which heβd purchased in 2007, was doing well, his private-label Bad Ass Beer was preparing to hit the shelves, and at the 2009 Grammys, heβd been nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Male Vocal Performance for his seasonal anthem All Summer Long.
Quotable/Notable
βSure, he has a bad boy image, but thereβs plenty of good that heβs done for Detroit. He may be an unconventional ambassador, but no one can deny heβs rock-solid on this area, which may explain why Kid hasnβt pulled up stakes for L.A. or New York. Heβs undeniably βMade in Detroit.β β
Since 2009?
As with his music, Kid Rockβs influence, passion, and generosity always seems to be lingering somewhere in the not-too-distant background of Detroit. In 2012, the Detroit Historical Museum debuted a new interactive exhibit funded by the Kid Rock Foundation dubbed the Kid Rock Music Lab. It celebrates Detroitβs musical legacy. In 2015, Eastern Market unveiled its renovated Shed 5 project, complete with the Kid Rock Kitchen Commons, a space used to host community events. The Kid Rock Foundation donated $250,000 to the cause.
In 2016, Kid Rock performance dates include stops at Daytona International Speedway and the Taste of Country Music Festival in New York.
Charlie White and Meryl Davis
βIn Tandemβ
By Aileen Jinn George, May 2010
The Backstory
Ice dancing partners since childhood, White (then 22, of Bloomfield Hills) and Davis (then 23, of West Bloomfield) had the biggest year of their lives, taking home the silver medal for ice dancing at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and second place in World Figure Skating Championships in Torino, Italy. ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ caught up with the duo, who were both balancing their time as students at University of Michigan, for a Q&A and fashion shoot.
Notable/Quotable
Davis: βWeβre friends. We spend hours upon hours a day, five days a week, sometimes weeks with each other. The strength of our relationship has been the foundation of our career.β
White: βWeβre really lucky our personalities mesh well. We have the same goals and work ethic. Weβre always on the same page β¦ Most ice-dance teams β¦ usually donβt get along, so we realize how lucky we are.β
Since 2010?
The duo broke world records in their free dance and short programs at the 2014 Olympic winter games in Sochi, Russia, earning them the U.S.βs first Olympic gold medal for ice dancing. Last year, White married fellow ice dancer Tanith Belbin (Davis served as a bridesmaid). The two are both still enrolled at U-M, with White studying political science and Davis studying cultural anthropology. Since scoring their gold medal, the two have taken a break from competitive skating, but havenβt ruled out the 2018 Olympics.
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