(Sherriff Raphael Washington; Beverly Hannah-Jones, CEO Hannah & Associates (architect for the project); Willie Norwood, President, Retired NBA Players, Detroit Chapter; Kevin Gregg, senior vice president of public relations, Detroit Pistons; Dave Bing; Rev. Charles Christian Adams, Senior Pastor, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church; Michele Hurst-Burton, executive director, US Tennis Association, SE Michigan; Todd Bettison, Deputy Mayor, City of Detroit photo credit JOHNNY NORTHERN)
Hartford Memorial Baptist Church hosted a groundbreaking event to renovate and rename Luger Park on the city’s northwest side. The park will be renamed the Dave Bing Community Park to pay tribute to the community commitment and work of former Detroit mayor, Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer, and entrepreneur Dave Bing, founder of Bing Steel, Inc. and the Bing Youth Institute, a nonprofit mentoring organization for African American boys and young men.
Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, where Bing is a member and serves on the Trustee Board, currently owns the park, which was purchased from the City of Detroit in 2014. The church has served the Detroit community for over 100 years.
“We are proud to rename Luger Park in honor of Dave Bing,” says Pastor Christian Adams. “Dave Bing Community Park is a great example of the creativity and vision brought to life when churches, businesses, and the community work together to improve the quality of life for residents.”
A native of Washington D.C., Bing has called Detroit home since 1966 when he relocated to the motor city to play for the Detroit Pistons, a 12-year journey. He turned his winning strategies from the basketball court to the boardroom as the founder of an automotive supply corporation, The Bing Group in 1980, where he served as President and Chairman until April 2009. Within a decade, The Bing Group was recognized as one of the nation’s top minority-owned businesses by Black Enterprise Magazine, employing more than 1,100 people, 80% being Detroit residents.
Answering yet another call to serve, Bing decided to run for mayor to help rebuild a city he has loved and been a part of for more than 50 years. Proving that the basics of good performance, integrity, and business can be applied to any area or industry, as mayor, Bing brought a renewed sense of trust and hope to the city of Detroit.
And now as founder and chairman of the Bing Youth Institute, which he founded in 2014 with the primary purpose of providing one-on-one mentoring to African American boys in grades 7-12, Bing continues to give back to the city in maybe his most valuable contribution to date: empowering young boys and helping them to transform into responsible young men who give back to their communities.
“In all the awards and recognition, I’ve received over the years there is none greater than to be acknowledged by the residents of the city I’ve called home for nearly six decades,” says Bing. “This park may bear my name, but it belongs to the residents of Detroit.”
Renovation plans include upgrading the two existing basketball courts, sponsored by the Detroit Pistons; installation of two new tennis courts, partnering with the US Tennis Association; a walking track for all ages, greenspace, playscapes, a pavilion, and more! The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of the park is expected to take place in late fall 2022.
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