Famous people's places / Detroit – Midtown
Wayne State University
Detroit's Midtown public research university, founded in 1868 as the Detroit Medical College, whose students and faculty include dozens of famous Detroiters.
01 / The story of this place
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Wayne State University began in 1868 as the Detroit Medical College, founded next to Harper Hospital by five Civil War-era physicians. It grew over the next century into Michigan's third-largest public research university, now centered on a sprawling Midtown campus along Cass and Warren avenues. Its music program shaped Detroit's jazz scene, training saxophonist and flutist Yusef Lateef, trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Kenny Burrell and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams. Poet Philip Levine began writing here in the late 1940s, and Sixto Rodriguez earned his philosophy degree in 1981, decades before the documentary Searching for Sugar Man made him famous. Congressmen John Conyers, Rashida Tlaib and Keith Ellison, and journalist Helen Thomas all studied here, as did performers Lily Tomlin, Tim Meadows and Tom Sizemore, and singer Della Reese. Dozens of other notable Detroiters passed through its lecture halls on their way to national careers. Today the university enrolls more than 20,000 students across 13 schools and colleges, including its historic School of Medicine.
- Founded in 1868 as the Detroit Medical College next to Harper Hospital.
- Midtown Detroit's public research university, now with 13 schools and colleges.
- Jazz greats Yusef Lateef, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell and Pepper Adams all studied here.
- Alumni include poet Philip Levine, singer Sixto Rodriguez and Congressman John Conyers.
- Comedians Lily Tomlin and Tim Meadows also attended Wayne State.
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 127
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Danny Jacobs born 1968 · actor, voice actor, comedian
Studied here
Detroit's public research university in Midtown, where Jacobs enrolled and did community theater before transferring to Arizona.
- Lily Tomlin born 1939 · comedian, actress, writer
Studied here
She enrolled in biology, took a theatre class and switched to performing.
- Herbert C. Brown 1912–2004 · chemist
Worked here
He taught chemistry here as an assistant and then associate professor before moving to Purdue.
- Casey Kasem 1932–2014 · radio host, disc jockey, voice actor
Studied here
As a Wayne State student Kasem voiced children in Detroit-made radio dramas such as The Lone Ranger.
- John Harsanyi 1920–2000 · economist, game theorist
Worked here
His first American professorship: he taught economics here for two years before moving to Berkeley.
- Daniel Keyes 1927–2014 · novelist, short-story writer, professor of creative writing
Worked here
Keyes taught creative writing at Wayne State before moving to Ohio University in 1966.
- Tom Sizemore 1961–2023 · actor
Studied here
Sizemore earned his bachelor's degree in theater here in 1983.
- Rashida Tlaib born 1976 · politician, lawyer
Studied here
She earned her B.A. in political science here in 1998.
- Tom Skerritt born 1933 · actor, director
Studied here
Detroit's public research university in Midtown; Skerritt studied here before moving on to UCLA.
- Helen Thomas 1920–2013 · journalist, White House correspondent, columnist
Studied here
She earned her English degree here in 1942; the university's award in her name ran from 2000 to 2010.
- Ernie Hudson born 1945 · actor, playwright
Studied here
Hudson studied writing and acting here and graduated in 1973.
- Janet Jagan 1920–2009 · politician, President of Guyana
Studied here
She also attended Wayne University during her student years.
- Alvin Plantinga born 1932 · philosopher
Worked here
He taught philosophy here as an associate professor alongside Edmund Gettier and Héctor-Neri Castañeda.
- Crystal Reed born 1985 · actress
Studied here
She entered the university's BFA acting program before leaving for the stage in Chicago.
- Sixto Rodriguez 1942–2023 · singer-songwriter, guitarist
Studied here
He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy here in 1981 and received an honorary doctorate in 2013.
- Hayden White 1928–2018 · historian, literary theorist
Studied here
He studied history here (BA 1951) and returned to teach after his doctorate.
- Wayne Dyer 1940–2015 · self-help author, motivational speaker, psychologist
Studied here
He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees here.
- Jeffrey Tambor born 1944 · actor
Studied here
Tambor earned his master's degree in theater here.
- Joseph Weizenbaum 1923–2008 · computer scientist
Studied here
He studied mathematics here (BS 1948, MS 1950) and, as a research assistant, helped build a digital computer.
- Carl Djerassi 1923–2015 · chemist, novelist, playwright
Worked here
Djerassi was professor of chemistry here for seven years, on leave to Syntex from 1957.
- Keith Ellison born 1963 · politician, lawyer
Studied here
He studied here and converted to Islam at 19 while a student.
- David Ramsey born 1971 · actor, television director
Studied here
Ramsey earned a BFA from the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.
- Donald Byrd 1932–2013 · jazz trumpeter, bandleader, educator
Studied here
He earned his bachelor's degree in music here after his Air Force service.
- Marshall Rosenberg 1934–2015 · psychologist, mediator
Studied here
He began his college studies here before transferring to the University of Michigan.
- John Conyers 1929–2019 · politician, lawyer
Studied here
He earned his B.A. (1957) and law degree (1958) here.
- Yusef Lateef 1920–2013 · jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, author
Studied here
He studied composition and flute here after returning to Detroit in 1950.
- Fuat Oktay born 1964 · politician, engineer, academic
Studied here
He earned a master's in business and manufacturing engineering and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering here.
- Arthur C. Danto 1924–2013 · art critic, philosopher, professor
Studied here
He studied art and history here after his army service.
- Isabella Karle 1921–2017 · chemist, crystallographer
Studied here
She spent a semester here before transferring to the University of Michigan on a scholarship.
- Philip Levine 1928–2015 · poet, essayist, professor
Studied here
Where he began writing poetry, encouraged by his mother.
- Douglas McGregor 1906–1964 · management theorist, psychologist
Studied here
He began and, after a spell in Buffalo, finished his bachelor's degree here (then the College of the City of Detroit).
- S. Epatha Merkerson born 1952 · actress
Studied here
She earned her BFA in theatre here in 1976 and received an honorary doctorate in 2009.
- Chad Everett 1937–2012 · actor
Studied here
Everett studied here and toured India with a State Department acting troupe in his junior year.
- Paul Feig born 1962 · director, writer, producer, actor
Studied here
Feig spent a year here before transferring to USC.
- Tim Meadows born 1961 · comedian, actor
Studied here
Meadows studied radio and TV broadcasting here before leaving for comedy; the university made him an honorary doctor in 2022.
- Della Reese 1931–2017 · singer, actress, television host, minister
Studied here
She studied psychology here before leaving after her mother's death.
- Joe Henderson 1937–2001 · jazz tenor saxophonist, composer
Studied here
Detroit's public research university in Midtown, where he took flute and bass classes.
- Gary Peters born 1958 · politician, former naval officer
Studied here
He earned his law degree and a political science M.A. here, and later taught finance.
- Kenny Burrell born 1931 · jazz guitarist, composer, educator
Studied here
He studied music here while already recording and leading bands.
- Thomas Ligotti born 1953 · horror writer, philosopher
Studied here
He graduated from Wayne State in 1978.
- James Lipton 1926–2020 · television host, writer, actor, educator
Studied here
He studied here for one year before enlisting.
- Robert Ettinger 1918–2011 · physics teacher, author, founder of cryonics
Studied here
He earned master's degrees in physics and mathematics here and later taught both subjects.
- Edmund Gettier 1927–2021 · philosopher
Worked here
He taught philosophy here for ten years and wrote his celebrated 1963 paper during that time.
- Anita Barone born 1964 · actress
Studied here
She earned an MFA in theatre here, studying with director Robert T. Hazzard.
- Kenya Moore born 1971 · beauty queen, actress, television personality, entrepreneur
Studied here
Moore studied psychology with a minor in communication here.
- Pepper Adams 1930–1986 · jazz baritone saxophonist, composer
Studied here
He attended the university during his Detroit years.
- Ed Gordon 1908–1971 · athletics competitor, later science teacher
Studied here
Where he finally completed his college degree, decades after his Olympic gold medal.
- Bill Prady born 1960 · television writer and producer
Studied here
He attended Wayne State, which made him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2022.
- Curtis Fuller 1932–2021 · jazz trombonist, composer
Studied here
He studied here in 1956, rooming with saxophonist Joe Henderson.
- David Robert Mitchell born 1974 · film director, screenwriter
Studied here
Mitchell studied at Wayne State in Detroit.
- Otmar Szafnauer born 1964 · engineer, Formula One team principal
Studied here
He earned his electrical engineering degree at Detroit's public research university.
- Sam Richardson born 1984 · actor, comedian, writer, producer
Studied here
Richardson studied theater here.
- Haaz Sleiman born 1976 · actor
Studied here
Sleiman earned a bachelor's degree in computer science here after immigrating from Lebanon.
- Richard LeParmentier 1946–2013 · actor, screenwriter
Studied here
LeParmentier took drama courses here before moving to the UK in 1974.
- Lorenzo Wright 1926–1972 · track and field athlete, coach, administrator
Studied here
Where Wright set long jump and sprint records that stood for decades.
- Russell L. Ackoff 1919–2009 · organizational theorist, operations researcher
Worked here
His first academic post: he taught philosophy and mathematics here as an assistant professor.
- Dorothy Ashby 1932–1986 · jazz harpist, pianist, singer, composer
Studied here
Detroit's public university, where she majored in piano and music education.
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson born 1956 · actor, playwright, director
Studied here
Santiago-Hudson earned his master's degree here and later received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
- Larry Joe Campbell born 1970 · actor, comedian
Studied here
Campbell earned his Master of Arts in theater here.
- Alice Herz 1882–1965 · peace activist, teacher
Worked here
She taught German here as an adjunct instructor and first planned her protest for the campus.
- Leonard Jimmie Savage 1917–1971 · mathematician, statistician
Studied here
He began his university studies here before transferring to the University of Michigan.
- Ulana Suprun born 1963 · physician, activist, health minister of Ukraine
Studied here
Her undergraduate university before medical school.
- Thorsten Kaye born 1966 · actor
Studied here
Kaye studied at Wayne State (per Wikidata) as part of its graduate theater program.
- Viola Liuzzo 1925–1965 · civil rights activist
Studied here
She studied here part-time, joined a campus protest on March 16, 1965, and received its first posthumous honorary doctorate in 2015; the Reuther Library holds her papers.
- Wilbert McClure 1938–2020 · boxer and psychologist
Studied here
Where he earned his doctorate in psychology in 1973.
- Joyce Randolph 1924–2024 · stage and television actress
Performed here
As a teenager Randolph acted in productions of the university's theater workshop.
- Deborah Tannen born 1945 · linguist, author
Studied here
She earned a master's degree in English literature here before turning to linguistics.
- Barbara Dane 1927–2024 · folk, blues and jazz singer, guitarist, record producer, activist
Studied here
Detroit's public university in Midtown, which she attended briefly.
- Hugh Downs 1921–2020 · television host, broadcaster, author
Studied here
He took classes here in the years he was starting out in radio.
- Robert Kearns 1927–2005 · engineer and inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper
Studied here
He earned a master's degree in engineering mechanics here.
- Bruce Joel Rubin born 1943 · screenwriter, meditation teacher, photographer
Studied here
Rubin studied here for two years before transferring to NYU in 1962.
- Bob Birch 1956–2012 · bassist
Studied here
He studied here on a state scholarship and graduated in music education and performance in 1980.
- Laura Devon 1931–2007 · actress, singer
Studied here
Where she majored in journalism and political science and first acted in campus productions.
- John Kluge 1914–2010 · media entrepreneur, founder of Metromedia
Studied here
He studied here for two years (then Detroit City College) before transferring to Columbia.
- Emmett Leith 1927–2005 · electrical engineer, physicist
Studied here
He took his physics degrees here and, decades later, a doctorate in electrical engineering.
- Dunya Mikhail born 1965 · poet, journalist, teacher
Studied here
She earned her MA in Near Eastern Studies here.
- Dave Marsh 1950–2026 · rock critic, editor, author, radio host
Studied here
He studied here before dropping out to write for Creem.
- Robert Hayden 1913–1980 · poet, essayist, professor
Studied here
He majored in Spanish here and left in 1936, one credit short of a degree.
- J. C. Heard 1917–1988 · jazz drummer, bandleader
Memorial
Wayne State hosts the yearly J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne as part of the Detroit Jazz Festival.
- Lloyd Richards 1919–2006 · theatre director, actor, educator
Studied here
He switched from pre-law to acting and radio here, working as a janitor and elevator operator, and graduated in 1944.
- George Shirley born 1934 · operatic tenor, music educator
Studied here
Shirley earned his bachelor's degree in music education here in 1955 before teaching in Detroit schools.
- Ernest Kirkendall 1914–2005 · chemist, metallurgist
Worked here
He studied here and later taught chemical engineering; the 1947 diffusion experiment was done here.
- Suzy Lake born 1947 · photographer, performance and video artist
Studied here
Where she began her fine art studies.
- Dudley Randall 1914–2000 · poet, publisher, librarian
Studied here
He earned his B.A. in English here in 1949 while working at the post office.
- Rick Margitza born 1961 · jazz tenor saxophonist, composer
Studied here
Detroit's public university, the first of several colleges Margitza attended.
- Elvis Mitchell born 1958 · film critic, radio host, filmmaker
Studied here
He majored in English here, graduating in 1980.
- Werner Emmanuel Bachmann 1901–1951 · organic chemist
Studied here
He began studying chemistry and chemical engineering at the Detroit college that became Wayne State University.
- Mischa Mischakoff 1895–1981 · violinist, concertmaster, teacher
Worked here
Mischakoff taught violin at Wayne State for almost three decades.
- Lettie Beckon Alston 1953–2014 · composer, pianist, professor
Studied here
Alston earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Wayne State.
- Charles Baxter born 1947 · novelist, short-story writer, essayist, teacher
Worked here
Where he began his university teaching career in the English department.
- E. M. Broner 1927–2011 · novelist, playwright, feminist ritual writer, professor
Worked here
Her alma mater, where she later taught English for about twenty years.
- Frederick A. Fox 1931–2011 · composer, music educator
Studied here
Fox earned his bachelor of music degree here in 1953, studying composition with Ruth Shaw Wylie.
- Alexander Jefferson 1921–2022 · Tuskegee Airman, prisoner of war, teacher
Studied here
He earned his teaching certificate here in 1947.
- Lawrence Patrick 1920–2006 · biomechanics researcher
Worked here
He directed crash-impact research here, often using his own body as the test subject.
- Margaret Danner 1915–1984 · poet, editor, cultural organizer
Worked here
She was named poet-in-residence here in 1962.
- Garth Fagan born 1940 · choreographer, dancer, company director
Studied here
Where Fagan earned his bachelor's degree in 1968 while dancing with Detroit companies.
- Rodney Whitaker born 1968 · jazz double bassist, educator
Studied here
Detroit's public university in Midtown, where he studied bass with DSO principal Robert Gladstone.
- Anan Ameri born 1944 · museum director, sociologist, author
Studied here
Where Ameri earned her doctorate in sociology in 1974.
- Héctor-Neri Castañeda 1924–1991 · philosopher
Worked here
His first full-time academic post; he founded the journal Noûs here in 1967.
- Michael Davis 1943–2012 · bassist
Studied here
He was a fine arts student here before dropping out to join the MC5.
- Lucia Dlugoszewski 1925–2000 · composer, poet, instrument inventor
Studied here
Dlugoszewski took pre-medical and physics courses at Wayne State before turning fully to music.
- Shirley Love born 1940 · operatic mezzo-soprano
Studied here
Love studied music here with Avery Crew and sang the title role of Menotti's The Medium in a university production.
- John Macurdy 1929–2020 · operatic bass
Studied here
He studied at the Wayne State University College of Engineering before his GM apprenticeship.
- Naomi Long Madgett 1923–2020 · poet, publisher, teacher
Studied here
She earned her master's in education here in 1955.
- Mary Sheffield born 1987 · politician, pastor, mayor of Detroit
Studied here
She earned her bachelor's degree in public affairs here in 2008.
- Harry Begian 1921–2010 · band director, conductor, arranger
Worked here
Begian was Director of Bands at Wayne State, his alma mater, for three years before moving to Michigan State.
- McArthur Binion born 1946 · painter
Studied here
Where he earned his BFA in 1971.
- Ben Blackwell born 1982 · drummer, record label executive, writer, archivist
Studied here
He studied journalism here for three years and wrote for the student paper The South End.
- Melba Joyce Boyd born 1950 · poet, editor, scholar
Worked here
She is a Distinguished University Professor and chair of Africana Studies here.
- Kenneth Cockrel Jr. born 1965 · journalist, city council president, interim mayor of Detroit
Studied here
He graduated cum laude from Wayne State.
- Hughie Lee-Smith 1915–1999 · painter, teacher
Studied here
Where he completed his degree in art education in 1953.
- Leni Sinclair born 1940 · photographer, activist
Studied here
She studied geography here after emigrating.
- Gilda Snowden 1954–2014 · painter, educator
Studied here
Where she earned her BFA and MFA amid the Cass Corridor art scene.
- Bess Bonnier 1928–2011 · jazz pianist, composer, educator
Studied here
Where she studied music and English and later earned a master's degree in English.
- Toi Derricotte born 1941 · poet, memoirist, teacher
Studied here
She studied psychology, then special education, graduating in 1965.
- Hoyt W. Fuller 1923–1981 · editor, critic, journalist
Studied here
He graduated here in 1950 with a degree in literature and journalism.
- Martha Glaser 1921–2014 · jazz manager, producer, civil rights activist
Studied here
Where she earned her degree in government in 1942.
- Gary Grimshaw 1946–2014 · graphic artist, rock poster designer, light-show artist
Studied here
He attended briefly after high school.
- Jaan Uhelszki · music journalist, editor
Studied here
She was studying journalism here when she started at Creem.
- Shirley Woodson born 1936 · painter, art educator
Studied here
Where she earned her bachelor's (1958) and master's degrees.
- Kenneth Cockrel Sr. 1938–1989 · radical lawyer, community organizer, city councilman
Studied here
He entered through a program for adults without diplomas, graduating in 1964 and earning his law degree in 1967.
- Brazeal Dennard 1929–2010 · choral director, singer, arranger, educator
Studied here
Dennard earned his master's in music education at Wayne State and later taught there as adjunct faculty.
- Sonny Eliot 1920–2012 · TV weatherman, comedian, broadcaster
Studied here
Eliot graduated from Wayne State; the university held a tribute to him after his death.
- James Frazier 1940–1985 · conductor, composer
Studied here
Frazier earned a chemistry degree here and conducted Elijah with William Warfield in his senior year.
- Neal Vernon Loving 1916–1998 · aviator, aircraft designer, aeronautical engineer
Studied here
He enrolled here as an aeronautical engineering student in 1955; the College of Engineering later inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
- Gary Anderson · theater director, producer
Studied here
Where Anderson earned his BFA and MFA in theater directing.
- Julius Chajes 1910–1985 · composer, pianist, conductor, educator
Worked here
Chajes joined the Wayne State music faculty in 1950.
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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
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
Oct 6, 2026, 5:30 PMGhosted! by Roz Hernandez Live
Comedian Roz Hernandez hosts a live comedy show and conversation about ghost stories and the paranormal on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s on Wayne State’s Detroit campus. Details on the organizer’s page.
Oct 15, 2026, 5:30 PMCGS Rainbow Movie Night: Little Shop of Horrors + Drag Show
Wayne State University’s Center for Gender and Sexuality screens the 1986 musical Little Shop of Horrors on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Auditorium in Detroit, followed by tribute drag and a special guest.
Nov 19, 2026, 5:30 PMCGS Rainbow Movie Night: Departures
Wayne State University’s Center for Gender and Sexuality screens Departures, a queer relationship drama, at the Community Arts Auditorium in Detroit on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Details on the organizer’s page.