Famous people's places / Detroit – Osborn
Pershing High School
A northeast Detroit public high school that opened in 1930 and counts Saturday Night Live star Tim Meadows among its graduates.
01 / The story of this place
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Pershing High School opened for classes in the fall of 1930 on Ryan Road near Seven Mile, named for World War I general John J. Pershing; a second building unit followed in February 1931, and the school opened with over a thousand students and eventual capacity for more than 2,200. It has operated continuously as a Detroit public high school ever since. Comedian Tim Meadows, who went on to become one of the longest-serving cast members of Saturday Night Live, attended Pershing in the late 1970s and graduated in 1979; he has returned to the school in later years to meet with students. Pershing remains an active neighborhood high school within the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
- Opened for classes in fall 1930
- Named for General John J. Pershing
- Tim Meadows graduated from Pershing in 1979
- Still an operating Detroit public high school
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 12
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Tim Meadows born 1961 · comedian, actor
Studied here
Northeast Detroit public high school from which Meadows graduated in 1979.
- J Dilla 1974–2006 · record producer, rapper, composer
Studied here
Northeast-side public high school where he met T3 and Baatin, with whom he formed Slum Village.
- Kevin Willis born 1962 · basketball forward and center
Studied here
Where he joined the basketball team as a junior, coached by Will Robinson.
- Mel Daniels 1944–2015 · basketball center
Studied here
Where coach Will Robinson developed him, alongside future NBA player Kevin Willis a generation later.
- Levi Stubbs 1936–2008 · singer, voice actor
Studied here
Northeast-side public high school where he met Duke Fakir, the start of the Four Tops.
- Darnell Hall born 1971 · sprinter and police officer
Studied here
The Detroit high school where he won a state championship in the 400 meters.
- Steve McCrory 1964–2000 · boxer
Studied here
The Detroit high school where he graduated in 1982.
- Brenda Lawrence born 1954 · postal worker, mayor of Southfield, congresswoman
Studied here
Northeast Detroit public high school she graduated from.
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir 1935–2024 · singer
Studied here
He attended Pershing High and played football and ran track here.
- Mable John 1930–2022 · blues singer
Studied here
She attended Pershing High School after the family moved to Detroit.
- Baatin 1974–2009 · rapper
Studied here
Where he began rapping and met his Slum Village partners.
- T3 · rapper, producer
Studied here
The Conant Gardens high school where T3, Baatin and J Dilla met; it now houses a recording studio created with the J Dilla foundation.
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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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