Detroit PAL will open to the public its new Hank Greenberg Walk of Heroes, a new permanent feature at The Corner Ballpark Presented by Adient, on Oct. 4.
Made possible with funding by the William Davidson Foundation and the Greenberg Family, the Walk of Heroes exhibit features 12 stories of Michigan citizens who displayed character, innovation and trailblazing spirit in the sports field and the community at large. The exhibit is the final phase of a three-part update to The Corner Ballpark, and each display highlights how these role models exemplified Detroit PAL’s core values and commitment to “Helping Youth Find Their Greatness.”
“This exhibit is an incredible celebration of the sports legends who demonstrated the values that Detroit PAL holds dear, and through their legacies, continue to strengthen our city and region,” says Robert Jamerson, CEO of Detroit PAL, a non-profit organization positively impacting the lives of children in Detroit for 50 years. “We believe we can all learn so much from those leaders who came before us, especially the children who take part in PAL’s programs, and the Walk of Heroes is a wonderful tribute that will continue to inspire Detroit’s youth for years to come.”
Individuals and groups featured in the Walk of Heroes include:
- Hank Aguirre, three-time All-Star pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
- Daedra Charles-Furlow, Detroit PAL alumna, member of the 1992 US Women’s Olympics basketball team and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
- Detroit Demolition, one of the nation’s first full-contact championship women’s football teams
- Anne Doyle, one of the first female TV sports broadcasters in the United States
- Brenda Gatlin, educator and award-winning girls’ and boys’ basketball coach at Detroit Public Schools
- Hank Greenberg, trailblazing Jewish American Detroit Tigers American League MVP and Baseball Hall of Famer
- Willie Horton, legendary Detroit Tigers baseball player
- Jackie Kallen, barrier-breaking female sports journalist and boxing manager
- Will Robinson, first African-American coach for a Michigan high school basketball team and NCAA Division I college basketball team, and first African-American NBA scout
- Diane Madsen and Jay Roberts-Eveland, founders of Communities for Equity to level the playing field for Michigan girls’ school sports teams
- Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, a Detroit Stars Negro League player and Baseball Hall of Fame member
- Ron Thompson, St. Martin DePorres football and baseball coach and leader in the desegregation of the Detroit Amateur Baseball Federation
“Sports legends being honored in the Walk of Heroes will add to the inspiration provided by the old Tiger Stadium field to which it is adjacent,” says former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, one of the driving forces behind the redevelopment of the Tiger Stadium site. “The walk is a perfect complement to that ‘field of dreams,’ where sports greats played and Joe Louis fought and Nelson Mandela spoke because the stories of the heroes being honored will inspire our city’s youth to excel in character as well as sports. It is truly fitting that the Walk of Heroes is being named after Hank Greenberg, whose life story embodied not just great skill, but total integrity and deep patriotism.”
