Famous people's places / Detroit – East Side
Denby High School
Detroit's east-side Art Deco high school from 1930, where self-help author Wayne Dyer and rapper 42 Dugg both studied.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Edwin Denby High School opened in 1930 on Detroit's east side, an Art Deco landmark by the architecture firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, with terra-cotta ornament by sculptor Corrado Parducci. Named for Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby, the school grew through 1930s expansions that added a 2,230-seat auditorium, a gymnasium and a pool. Self-help author and motivational speaker Wayne Dyer graduated from Denby in the 1950s before joining the Navy himself. Decades later, rapper 42 Dugg grew up in the neighborhood and attended Denby in the 2000s, though he left before graduating to pursue music. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and continues to operate as a Detroit public high school.
- Opened in 1930, an Art Deco design by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls
- Terra-cotta ornament by sculptor Corrado Parducci
- Named for Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005
- Alumni include Wayne Dyer and rapper 42 Dugg
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 6
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Wayne Dyer 1940–2015 · self-help author, motivational speaker, psychologist
Studied here
The east-side public high school he graduated from before joining the Navy.
- Sheila Young born 1950 · speed skater and track cyclist
Studied here
The Detroit high school she graduated from in 1968.
- Wally Cox 1924–1973 · actor, comedian
Studied here
East-side Detroit public high school from which Cox graduated after his family returned to the city.
- Edwin Denby 1870–1929 · lawyer, congressman, secretary of the Navy
Memorial
East Side public high school named in his honor.
- 42 Dugg born 1994 · rapper
Studied here
His neighborhood high school, a National Register-listed building from 1930; he left before graduating.
- Jerry Hodak born 1942 · television meteorologist, news anchor
Studied here
The east-side high school he graduated from.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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Official website & visitor information ↗