Groves Grad, Local Legend Has a Hand in Detroit's Newest Outdoor Attraction

An outdoor exhibition honoring two dozen celebrities with Metro Detroit roots, including Birmingham, was unveiled today at the Detroit Historical Museum.

The museum's Detroit Legends Plaza is its first outdoor attraction. The plaza features the concrete handprints of a wide range of sports and entertainment stars, including director/producer/writer Sam Raimi, who attended Groves High School in the 1970's. Raimi went on to direct the Evil Dead series and the blockbuster Spider-Man films.

Raimi studied at Groves under former teacher and Berkshire Middle School principal Jim Moll, who retired from the district in 2011 but is now serving as interim principal at Royal Oak High School.

"Sam was a student of mine in the mid '70s and was in both my Radio Speech class and in some of the plays that I directed at Groves High School," said Moll.  "Sam's success is something that all of us are very proud."

Moll said Raimi's talent was apparent even as a high school student in Birmingham.

"He earned his chops by trying things and staying completely dedicated to his art," Moll said. "I think there's a good message there — staying true to oneself and having the patience to work through some adversity definitely can pay off."

When Raimi shot Oz: The Great and Powerful film in Pontiac in 2011, he contacted his old teacher to visit him on set.

"Sam's a very generous and gracious guy. His loyalty to his school, classmates, and teachers is admirable," said Moll. "I, in fact, got to be in his latest movie when it was being filmed at the Raliegh Studios in Pontiac.  Look for Townsperson No. 10 when you go and see Oz The Great and Powerful!"

The legends

The Detroit Legends Plaza is part of the Detroit Historical Society’s Past Forward campaign, a fundraising effort to raise $20.1 million toward new and expanded exhibits, technology upgrades, educational offerings and enhancements to the Detroit Historical Museum.

Here's the complete list of celebrities that have cast their handprints and signatures:

• Juan Atkins
• Dave Bing
• Alice Cooper
• Carl Craig
• Joe Dumars
• Eddie Fowlkes
• Carman Harlan
• Thomas Hearns
• Gordie Howe
• Mike and Marian Ilitch
• Al Kaline
• Elmore Leonard
• Diana Lewis
• Ted Lindsay
• Derrick May
• Jeff Mills
• Dick Purtan
• Sam Raimi
• Martha Reeves
• Barry Sanders
• Kevin Sanderson
• Devin Scillian
• Paul W. Smith
• Lily Tomlin