William Pickard, a pioneering Black entrepreneur whose holdings included injection molding and blow molding suppliers to the auto industry, died June 12 at the age of 83 at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., his family said in a statement.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
In the statement, the family asked for privacy and said funeral arrangements will be made public soon.
Pickard's holdings included injection molder Regal Plastics and fuel tank blow molder Vitec LLC. He co-created the Global Automotive Alliance in 1999 to coordinate auto supply projects, including those within Regal and Vitec.
"Anything from interior components to entire fuel tanks to complete bumper fascias will be part of it," he told Plastics News in 1999. "We're stronger by offering a broad range of capabilities from one location."
GAA now is a logistics specialist.
Pickard was born in 1941 in La Grange, Ga., and moved with his family to Flint, Mich., when he was a child. There he attended Mott College before transferring to Western Michigan University in the early 1960s. He later earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from Ohio State University.
He's was one of the first Black owners of McDonald's franchises in 1971, owning dozens of the fast-food outlets in Detroit. He was also co-managing partner of MGM Grand Detroit and co-owner of Real Times Media, which owns five African American newspapers, including the Michigan Chronicle.
Besides his large entrepreneurial shadow, Pickard was well known for his philanthropic efforts throughout Detroit.
He donated millions of dollars to hundreds of organizations, individuals and community efforts. Among his contributions was a $3 million gift to Western Michigan University and $2 million to Morehouse College, a historically Black college near his hometown in Georgia, to financially support Black male students from Flint and Detroit.
He also donated more than $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the William F. Pickard Living Center is named in his honor at Grand Valley State University in recognition of his undisclosed gift to the Grand Rapids-area university.
In 2018, Pickard supported the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Motown Museum each with $1 million gifts and Wayne County Community College District with a $100,000 gift.
He was honored earlier this year by the General Motors African American Network, a group of GM employees, at an event in Detroit.