Mike Ilitch, who founded the pizza chain Little Caesars and owned the Detroit Tigers, passed away on February 10. In the days since, many have reflected on his kind deeds.
Mike Ilitch, who founded the pizza chain Little Caesars and owned the Detroit Tigers, passed away on February 10.
In the days since, many have reflected on his kind deeds. One of which was paying Rosa Parks’ rent for years as AL.com points to a 2014 story from the Sports Business Journal.
Ilitch reportedly began doing so in 1994 after hearing that the civil rights activist and icon had been assaulted and robbed inside her Detroit home.
He reached out to an area judge, a property developer, and those close to Parks for help in finding her a safer place to call home, saying he’d pay for it for “as long as necessary.”
Judge Damon Keith noted the generous act was just one of many wonderful things Ilitch did for Detroit and its residents.
Said Keith, “He brought the Little Caesars corporate offices here. He saved the Fox Theatre. He built Comerica Park, and he kept the hockey and baseball teams thriving here when times were tough. But of all the incredible things he has done for the city, people should know what he did for Rosa Parks.”
