BUSINESS
SECTION C
February 15-21, 2017
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In memory of aTRUE
DETROITER Michigan Chronicle and Press Reports
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ike Ilitch, founder of Little Caesars Pizza, owner of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, chairman of Ilitch Holdings, and champion for Detroit, died Friday, Feb. 10, at a local hospital. He was 87. “My father was a once-in-a-generation entrepreneur, visionary and leader, setting the tone for our organization and our family,” said Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. “He made such a positive impact in the world of sports, in business and in the community, and we will remember him for his unwavering commitment to his employees, his passion for Detroit, his generosity to others and his devotion to his family and friends. Together my family and the company celebrate the tremendous man he was, and we will continue to work hard to uphold his remarkable legacy. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with him to nurture and grow our businesses, but mostly, I’m grateful to have called him my
dad, and I know my siblings feel the same.” Ilitch was married to Marian Ilitch for 61 years. They have seven adult children Denise (Jim Scalici), Ron, Michael Jr. (Noelle), Lisa (Glenn Murray), Atanas (Patty), Christopher
See MIKE ILITCH Page C-2
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‘Jap’ and ‘Sunnie’ kept Paradise Valley poppin’ By Ken Coleman Andrew “Jap” Sneed and William Nathaniel “Sunnie” Wilson personified the entrepreneurial spirit of Paradise Valley. In 1941, Sneed opened Club 666, which was managed by Richard King and located on East Adams Street where Comerica Park sits today. Sneed, a black man who earned his nickname because his fair skin, his hooded eye lids, and his
PART THREE OF A FOUR PART BLACK HISTORY MONTH SERIES almond-shaped eyes, had previously managed Club Plantation until it closed in 1939. Known the Three Sixes, the club was considered the city’s most popular black and tan, a club where blacks and whites patronize.
William Nathaniel “Sunnie” Wilson personified the entrepreneurial spirit of Paradise Valley.
He arrived in Detroit in 1914 and quickly became one of the city’s leading black residents. Most of Detroit cultural activity during Sneed’s early years in Detroit was confined to Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. The Valley’s boundaries were considered Brush Street on the west, Vernor Highway on the north, Hast-
Performers at Club 666, owned by Andrew “Jap” Sneed. It was located where Comerica Park sits today.
See PARADISE VALLEY Page C-2