The Detroit News' Michiganians of the Year since 1978
Every year since 1978, readers of The Detroit News have participated in nominating our Michiganians of the Year, a selection of outstanding citizens who have helped make living in this state a richer experience for the rest of us, either by their good works or by the example they set. The following is a complete list of honorees throughout the awards' history.
1978 Inaugural
Waunetta Dominic, Antal Dorati, Erma Henderson, T. John Lesinski, Jan Leventer, Darryl Rogers, Lou Whittaker
1979
Irene Auberlin, Mary Coleman, Bertha Daubendiek, David DiChiera, Thomas Hearns, Laura Heuser, Edward McNamara, Ernie Rodgers, Dr. Barnett Rosenberg, Coleman A. Young
1980
Michael Bennett, James Blanchard, John Cardinal Dearden, Emily Gail, Arthur Jefferson, Al Kaline, Lavinia Moyer, Ellen Sharp, Billy Sims, David Stockman, Ray Trombley
1981
William Agee, Dexter Bussey, Diane Edgecomb, Ernie Harwell, Lewis Hickson, Dr. Ronald Krome, Helen Milliken, John Peakes, Misha Rachlevsky, Margaret Smith, Richard Thomsen, Dr. Judith Tintinalli, John Voelker
1982
Anthony Carter, Luella Davison, Marie Farrell-Donaldson, Jim Harrison, Zalman Konikow, Robert McCabe, Carle and Ellendea Proffer, Leona Spencer, Debbie Stabenow, Peter Stroh
1983
Lisa Bonder, Stefan Humphries, Ted Hunt, Lee Iacocca, Eleanor Josaitis, Elmore Leonard, Marvin W. Murray, Bob Seger, Brewster Shaw Jr., A. Alfred Taubman
1984
Sparky Anderson, Dave Bing, Henry Blosser, Ted Ewald, Steve Fraser, Rick Inatome, William Lucas, Ilene Moses, Mary Sinclair, Elliot Wilhelm
1985
Richard Austin, John Barfield, Peter B. Clark, Phil Marcus Esser, John Eulenberg, Evelyn Fisher, Sister Ardeth Platte, Loret Ruppe, Bo Schembechler, Isiah Thomas
1986
Stuart Dybek, Jeanne Findlater, Dennis L. Gibson Jr., J.C. Heard, Richard Kughn, Dr. Fred Lee, Ron Mason, Shirley Muldowney, Sheri Nichols, Jerry Roe, Dr. Arthur Weaver, G. Mennen Williams, Russell Wood
1987
Don Canham, The Rev. William T., Cunningham, Dr. George Granderson, Judge Damon J. Keith, Walter J. McCarthy Jr., George Perles, Clifford and Sandra Sasfy, Alan E. Schwartz, Archbishop Edmund C. Szoka, Irene Walt, Dr. Vainutis K. Vaitkevicius, Dr. Charles H. Wright
1988
Delores Bennett, William Field, Phyllis Todd Graham, Oscar Graves, Mike and Marian Ilitch, John W. Madden Jr., Sue Marx and Pamela Conn, Jaqueline Miller and Judith Hendrickson, Justin Rashid and Wilhelm Kast, Doug Ross, Alan Trammell
1989
Sister Alice Baker, Rose Bell, Martha Bigelow, Roy and Ellen Brigman, Jim Campbell, Joe Dumars, The Rev. Eddie Edwards, Steve Fisher, Paul Ganson, Nancy Gauchey, Mickey Miners
1990
Jacqueline Carey Thomas, Dr. Francis S. Collins, John Concannon, Rev. Robert H. Crilley, Chuck Daly, Matel Dawson Jr., Cecil Fielder, Gene Gonya, The Rev. Jim Holley, Milton London, Robert S. Miller Jr., Rick Swope, Alfred H. Taylor Jr., Debra White-Hunt
1991
Don H. Barden, Ruth Ann Bussey, Jeff Daniels, Wayne Fontes, Tyree Guyton, Neeme Jarvi, Randy Kowalski, Catharine A. MacKinnon, Fannie Dell Peeples, Heinz Prechter, The Rev. Edwin A. Rowe, Monte Sharobeem, Alann Steen, Virginia Steen, Jan Stevenson, Conrado S. Valle Jr.
1992
The Rev. Wendell Anthony, Bob Bauer, Leon S. Cohan, Frank Colasonti Jr., Cary Coleman, Mary Fisher, Mildred Jeffrey, Rosa Parks, Angie Reyes, Ray Shepardson, Joseph Thompson, Carol Tighe, Bishop Ken Untener, William Washington, The Winans Family
1993
Stjepan Balog, Dr. Julius V. Combs, Michael Fallon, Marian Faupel, William R. Halling, Teddy Harris, The Rev. Ann Johnson, Sharon Pipe, Dick Purtan, John Rice, Jimmy Schmidt, Mark Volpe
1994
Ismael Ahmed, Kathleen Gerus, Arthur Johnson, Joyce Keller, Cardinal Adam J. Maida, Russ Mawby, William Mills, Mary Ellen Robertson, Rabbi Charles H. Rosenzveig, Ben Snyder, Fritz and Gretchen Stansell, John Thompson, Rush Yarnell
1995
Dr. Michael Busuito, W. Clark Durant III, Marcus Edwards, Gov. John M. Engler, Charlotte and David Fauman, John George, Judge Willie Lipscomb Jr., Albert Meyer, Dr. Isaac Powell, Elizabeth Gordon Sachs, Samuel Sachs II, Dr. Andrea Sankar, Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg
1996
Judge Hilda Gage, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Paul Hillegonds, Roger McCarville, Alex Montaner, Edwin Novak, Rich Odell, Lloyd Reuss, Will Robinson, Frank D. Stella, Jeanne Sterner, The Rev. Edgar Vann Jr., John Welchli, Steve Yzerman
1997
Dr. Sandra Brown, Lloyd Carr, Renee S. Deroche, Gershwin A. Drain, Chuck Forbes, Carl F. Greene, Geraldine Lester, Dr. Melvin Lester, Myron Leven, Jerry Linenger, Harry Pearce, Dr. L. Kimberly Peoples, Art VanElslander
1998
Pamela A. Aguirre, Brenda Crane, Peter D. Cummings, Tarik Daoud, Robert J. Eaton, Juanita Hammond, David Hermelin, Kenneth Hill, Peter Karmanos Jr., Shelley Looney, Peter McPherson, Diane Philpot
1999
Helen Barwig, Bill Beckham, Richard E. Dauch, Gerald D. Edwards, Haifa Fakhouri, Max Fisher, Steven K. Hamp, Noreen Keating, Marilyn Lundy, Brenda Rayford, Dawn Riley, Harry Simpson
2000
Berry Gordy Jr., Jerome P. Horwitz, Ph.D., Tom Izzo, Helen Kozlowski, Mary-Agnes Miller Davis, Dr. Arthur Porter, Irvin D. Reid, Ph.D., John F. Smith Jr., Emanuel Steward, Sheila Taormina, Ruth Taylor, Jim Tuman
2001
Rose Aguilar, Dennis W. Archer, Debra Bonde, Brother Francis Boylan, Dr. Alexa Canady, William Davidson, Edward Deeb, Edsel B. Ford II, Darlene Clark Hine, Ph.D., Gordie and Colleen Howe, Eugene A. Miller, William F. Pickard
2002
Gary D. Anderson, Scotty Bowman, William Clay Ford, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Imad Hamad, Amyre Makupson, Fred and Lena Meijer, Jeffrey Montgomery, Joan Podeszwa, Waltraud Prechter, Charles F. Whitten, M.D., Dieter Zetsche
2003
Lee C. Bollinger, Mary Sue Coleman, Rep. John D. Dingell, Aaron P. Dworkin, Anthony F. Earley Jr., Irma B. Elder, The Rev. Faith Fowler, Aretha Franklin, James Haveman, Dr. Susan L. Hendrix, Bill Laimbeer, Dr. Herbert C. Smitherman Jr., G. Richard Wagoner Jr.
2004
The Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams, Gladys Beckwith, Chauncey Billups, Justice Maura D. Corrigan, Eloise Culmer Whitten, Tony Filippis Sr., Bob Gigliotti, Curtis L. Ivery, Ph.D., Joe Laymon, Martin F. Manna, James B. Nicholson, Angela Ruggiero
2005
Anan Ameri, Richard Bernstein, Denise Davis-Cotton & Al Glancy, Esther Gordy Edwards, Dan & Rosemary Kelly, Mary Ann Merritt, David Milarch, Sean J. Morrison, Cynthia J. Pasky, Roger Penske, Robert Porcher, Alicia Villareal
2006
Maggie Allesee, Lizabeth Ardisana, Anita Baker, Nasser Beydoun, Grace Lee Boggs, Matt Cullen, Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland, Dan Gilbert, Cynthia Kidder, Carmen N'Namdi, Dominic Pangborn, Levi T. Thompson
2007
Dr. Margeret Aguwa, Graham W.J. Beal, Jack Fowler, Jane C. Garcia, Ron Gettelfinger, Alexis Goggins, Kirsten Haglund, Florine Mark, Ron Mason, Stan Ovshinsky, Shirley Stancato
2008
Al Fracassa, Rev. Gregory Guice, Catherine Lord, Robert Lutz, Lou Anna K. Simons, Rick Sperling, Robert Thompson, Gretchen Valade, Marilyn Wittstock, Kym Worthy
2009-10
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Sister Mary Watson, Alan Mulally, Victor Ghalib Begg, Dr. John Flack, Rick DeVos, Maggie Varney, David Brandon, Carol Goss
2011
Ahmad Chebbani, Emily A. Diaz-Torres, Dr. Eva Feldman, Allan Gilmour, John Herrington, Josh Linkner, Judge Greg Mathis, Ernestine Sanders, Paul W. Smith, Robert & Susan Williams
2012
Raphael B. Johnson, Jeanne Fowler, Pastor Kent Clark, Gov. Rick Snyder, Lisa Newman, M.D., Paul Winters, Mike and Denise Busley, Charles McGee, Sergio Marchionne, Sandra E. Pierce
2013
Sharlonda Buckman, Jalen Rose, Dan and Charlotte Peyerk, Barbara McQuade, Mary Liz Curtin, Dan Loepp, Joshua Smith, Margaret Dunning, Dan Akerson, Sue Mosey
2014
John and Marlene Boll, U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, Mark Dantonio, Sonia Hassan, Angelo Henderson, Deborah Hughes, George Jackson Jr., Bill Pulte Jr., Andra Rush
2015
Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera, Tanya Allen, retired Judge Steven Rhodes, Mariam Noland, Judge Gerald E. Rosen, Maureen Taylor, Ric Devore, Phillip Cooley, Rip Rapson
2016
Mary Barra, Claressa Shields, Allison Schmitt, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Valerie Newman, David Moran, Mark Davidoff, Linda Smith, Luther Keith, Chief Justice Robert Young
2017
Allie Greenleaf Maldonado, Debbie Dingell, Fred Upton, Kary L. Moss, Mark Wallace, Matthew Simoncini, Odis Bellinger, Shell Jones, Stephen R. Polk
2018
Remonia Chapman, Rachael Denhollander, Mike Duggan, Aretha Franklin (Lifetime Achievement Award), Cindy Garcia, Bryant George, Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., Daniel Little, Candice Miller, John Rakolta Jr., Doug Stanton.