FIGHT.
FIGHT. >> Devin: AND HE WASN'T.
KIM?
KIM?
KIM? >> Kim: HIS KINDNESS AND
GENEROSITY SEEMED TO HAVE NO
LIMITS.
LIMITS.
LIMITS. THAT'S WHAT DETROIT MAYOR MIKE
DUGGAN SAID AFTER LEARNING OF
THE PASSING OF ART VAN
ELSLANDER.
ELSLANDER. ART VAN WAS AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
HERE IN METRO DETROIT NOT JUST
IN THE BUSINESS WORLD BUT ALSO
IN PHILANTHROPY.
IN PHILANTHROPY. PAULA TUTMAN HAS A LOOK AT THE
MAN WHO DID SO MUCH FOR THE CITY
HE LOVED.
HE LOVED.
HE LOVED. ART VAN ELSLANDER, KNOWN AS ART
VAN, PASSED AWAY FROM LUNG
CANCER, AFTER HE BEAT IT A YEAR
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. >> PEOPLE IN LIFE WILL PUT A
SMALL FINGERPRINT ON YOU AND
PEOPLE THAT WILL PUT A SMALL
HAND PRINT.
HAND PRINT. AND THEN PEOPLE WHO COME THROUGH
YOUR LIFE AND PUT A FOOTPRINT ON
YOU WHERE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET.
>> Paula: HE CAME TO ART VAN
WHEN THERE WAS ONLY 15 STORES.
HE ROSE TO VP OF MERCHANDISE
WHEN THEY HAD 140 STORES.
HE WANTS TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE
MR. VAN BEHIND ART VAN
FURNITURE.
FURNITURE. I HAD ONLY BEEN HERE A YEAR WHEN
MY WIFE DIED.
HE BELIEVED IN HIS EMPLOYEES AND
TOOK CARE OF THEM WHEN THEY HAD
TOUGH TIMES.
TOUGH TIMES. ANY TIME AN EMPLOYEE HAD A SICK
CHILD, A MOTHER OR A FATHER AND
ART WOULD FIND OUT ABOUT IT AND
KNOW BIT, IMMEDIATELY HE WOULD
CALL THEM AND HE WOULD FIND THE
BEST PHYSICIANS OR SPECIALIST,
WHATEVER WAS NEEDED.
>> Paula: HE HAD A WILLING
SIGNATURE ON THE BIG CHECKS THAT
MADE THE BIG DIFFERENCES.
>> Mort: YOU WERE ONE OF THE
ONCE WHO SAID, WE CAN'T LET THIS
PARADE GO UNDER.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> Paula: HE IS CREDITED WITH
SINGLE HANDEDLY SAVING THE
AMERICA'S THANKSGIVING PARADE.
>> ART VAN COMES ALONG 30 YEARS
AGO, SAVES THE PARADE, IS A
PRESENTING SPONSOR, AND NOW
WE'RE BUILDIN BIGGER AND
BOLDER.
BOLDER.
BOLDER. >> Paula: WHEN HE WROTE THAT
CHECK FOR $225,000, THIS IS WHAT
IT MEANT.
IT MEANT.
IT MEANT. THIS IS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL
FLOATS.
FLOATS.
FLOATS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER
THIS, IF YOU'RE OLD ENOUGH,
WELL-WORN AND WELL-LOVED N A
FLASH, THEY LOOKED LIKE THIS,
STYLIZED, FABER GLASS, WELL
FORMED, STATE-OF-THE-ART FLOATS.
THIS HAPPENS IN A FLASH, BUT IT
TOOK MONEY AND IT TOOK
COMMITMENT.
COMMITMENT. IN LARGE, HE WAS LARGER THAN THE
LIVES HE SAVED A BIGGER THAN
THE BALLOONS.
THE BALLOONS. A GIANT HAS FALLEN BUT NOT
FORGOTTEN.
FORGOTTEN. WE WANTED TO END THE STORY HERE
AT HIS FLAGSHIP STORE IN WARREN.
I LOVE THIS ROOM BECAUSE IT SAYS
DETROIT AND EVERYTHING THAT HE
LOVED.
LOVED.
LOVED. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PARADE,
EVEN THOUGH THE COMPANY WAS SOLD
A YEAR AGO, HE HAS ENSURED IT
WILL CONTINUE TO BE SPONSORED AT
LEAST THROUGH THE YEAR 2021.
AND BY THE WAY, WE'RE LEARNING A
LOT, A LOT OF THINGS MAYBE YOU
DIDN'T NECESSARILY KNOW.
COMING UP AT 6:00, WE HEARD
SOMETHING CALLED THE SIX
LEARNING TOOLS OF ART VAN,
CHANGED HIS NAME TO ART VAN,
SHORTENED IT FOR THE PUBLIC
BECAUSE NOBODY COULD PRONOUNCE
THE LAST TIME.
HE HAD 6 TOOLS OF LEARNING.
WE LOVE THEM AND THOUGHT YOU
WOULD LOVE THEM TOO.
JOIN US IN A FEW MOMENTS.
>> Kim: AND T