On July 9, 1975, musician Jack White of The White Stripes, Raconteurs, and Dead Weather was born in Detroit.
He was born John Anthony Gillis, and was part of a large musical family. He has since donated to various organizations in Detroit.
Jack White may have ditched his hometown of Detroit to settle down more comfortably in Nashville, but he’s definitely not leaving behind his old stomping grounds to fester amid the recession.
The Detroit News reports that White covertly donated $170,000 towards the restoration of Clark Park field back in 2009, a baseball diamond where White played ball as a kid.
According to Crain’s Detroit Business, he also stepped in to save the Detroit Masonic Temple from foreclosure in 2013. White had fond memories of the building since his mother had worked as an usher in the theater. He’s also played at the theater numerous times, including twice last year. White paid the entire $142,000 tax balance and did so quietly: he initially remained anonymous.
Source:
Michigan Every Day
Masonic Temple article including section on Jack White’s rescue.