Michigan Walk of Fame
The Michigan Walk of Fame, styled on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, will honor Michigan residents, past or present, who have made significant contributions to the state or nation.
Located along central Lansing's Washington Square, it aims to be the first comprehensive Walk of Fame in the nation to honor the contributions of its residents on a statewide basis. Each year nominations are accepted by people from around the state and nation.
The first group of Michigan Walk of Fame's inductees were honored on May 25, 2006 during Michigan Week. The 2006 inductees were announced on March 14 and twelve more will be added annually. Stevie Wonder, Helen Thomas, Jeff Daniels, Dick Ford (Gerald Ford's brother), and many others attended the May 25 event to be formally inducted,[1]
The second group of inductees were announced in fall 2007 and the third group of inductees are currently being considered from over 500 nominations. As of January 2012, no more inductees have been added.
2006 Inductees
- Actor Jeff Daniels
- Herbert Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical
- Inventor Thomas Edison
- President Gerald R. Ford
- Automotive pioneer Henry Ford
- Emma Genevieve Gillette, the "mother" of the Michigan State Parks system
- Sportscaster Ernie Harwell
- W.K. Kellogg, founder of Kellogg's
- Civil rights activist Rosa Parks
- Fannie Richards, A pioneer African-American public school teacher in Detroit and the City's first kindergarten teacher.
- Political Journalist Helen Thomas
- Musician & Composer Stevie Wonder
2007 Inductees
- Boxer, Joe Louis Barrow
- Educator and linguist, Mack-e-te-be-nessy/Andrew Blackbird
- Automotive pioneer, William C. Durant
- Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe
- Dr. Pearl Kendrick and Dr. Grace Eldering, who created a vaccine for Whooping Cough
- Inventor, Elijah McCoy
- Labor Union Leader, Walter Reuther
- Eero Saarinen, famed architect and designer of the St. Louis Arch
- Jonas Salk, who created the vaccine for polio
- Mary Spencer, Michigan's first state librarian
- Actor and philanthropist, Danny Thomas/Muzyad Yahkoob
References
External links
- MI Walk of Fame Announces First Inductees 3/14/2006 (visited March 15, 2006
- List of Stars with texts of the plaques