The New Jersey Hall of Fame (NJHOF) has announced 50 nominees in five categories for its Class of 2017: Arts & Letters, Enterprise, Performing Arts, Public Service and Sports. Public voting is now underway online at https://njhalloffame.org/2017-nominees/.
The 10th class of inductees will be announced in December, and the formal induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 6th, 2018.
"On the 10th Anniversary of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, we're thrilled to have a class of nominees that truly reflects the diversity of achievement found in our great state" said John Keegan, Chairman Emeritus of the New Jersey Hall of Fame Foundation. "This will be an exceptional class for an exceptional year."
"The people that we honor in the New Jersey Hall of Fame have overcome every imaginable obstacle and challenge. The Class of 2017 stands as an inspiration for the next generation of New Jerseyans," added Bart Oates, Chairman of the New Jersey Hall of Fame Foundation.
The public is encouraged to visit the NJ Hall of Fame website to cast their vote for a nominee in each of the five categories listed below. Full biographies of the nominees, as well as online voting, can be found at https://njhalloffame.org/2017-nominees/.
ARTS & LETTERS
Charles Addams, cartoonist, known for his characters "The Addams Family"; Harlan Coben, award-winning author of mystery novels and thrillers; Stephen Crane, author of Red Badge of Courage; Janet Evanovich, author, known for her series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephanie Plum; Joyce Kilmer, journalist and poet, author of Trees; Fran Lebowitz, author and public speaker, known as the modern-day Dorothy Parker; Anne Morrow Lindbergh, author, aviator, and wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh; John Forbes Nash Jr., mathematician and fundamental contributor to game theory, differential geometry and the study of partial differential equations; Charles Osgood, host of CBS News Sunday Morning since 1994; and George Segal, printer and sculptor associated with the Pop Art movement.
ENTERPRISE
Joe Buckelew, Chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew; James E. Burke, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Fairleigh S. Dickenson, co-founder of the Fortune 500 medical technology company Becton Dickinson, named benefactor of Fairleigh Dickinson University; Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes;Jon F. Hanson, Chairman and Founder of The Hampshire Companies; Dr. Victor Parsonnet, cardiac surgeon who contributed significantly to the evolution of cardiac pacemaking; Mary G. Roebling, first woman to serve as president of a major US bank; Henry Rowan, built the first induction furnace, benefactor of Rowan University; Thomas Watson, Sr., former chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (IBM), and Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, credited with ending high levels of inflation during the 1970s and early 1980s, and former chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory board under President Obama.
PERFORMING ARTS
George Benson, Grammy award winning musician, known for his hit "On Broadway"; Stephen Colbert, comedian, TV host, actor, writer, best known for his TV program The Colbert Report; Tom Cruise, three-time nominee for an Academy Award and three-time Golden Globe Award winning actor and producer; The Four Seasons, famous rock and pop band that became internationally successful in the 1960s and 1970s, known with Frankie Valli as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; Gloria Gaynor, singer, best known for her disco-era hits such as "I Will Survive"; Ed Harris, three-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Apollo 13, The Truman Show and The Hours; Nathan Lane, actor and writer, known for roles in many popular musicals and shows; Ozzie & Ricky Nelson, creators and stars of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Flip Wilson, comedian and actor, Golden Globe, Grammy Award, and two-time Emmy Award winner and host of The Flip Wilson Show; and Steven Van Zandt, mandolin and guitar player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and actor.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Dorothea Lynde Dix, activist and creator of the first mental asylum and Superintendent of Army Nurses during the Civil War; Alfred Driscoll, 43rd Governor of New Jersey, former Republican NJ Senator representing Camden County, and president of Warner-Lambert; Millicent Fenwick, four-term Republican member of the US House of Representatives from NJ, known for her work for civil rights and the women's movement; Louis Freeh, attorney and former judge who served as the 5th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Richard J. Hughes, 45th Governor of New Jersey, Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973-1979, and the only person to have served NJ as both Governor and Chief Justice; William Livingston, signer of the United States Constitution and Governor of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War; Clara Maass, died as a result of volunteering for medical experiments to study yellow fever, which led to a ban on using humans for medical experiments; William Paterson, signer of the United States Constitution, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, 2nd Governor of New Jersey, and the namesake for Peterson, NJ and William Paterson University; Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, longest-serving justice currently on the Court; and Richard Stockton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court and namesake of Stockton University.
SPORTS
Rick Barry, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in History by the NBA; Harry Carson, New York Giants star inside linebacker, helped the Giants win Super Bowl XXI; Gerry Cooney, former star professional boxer; Mary Decker, retired middle-distance runner, Olympic gold medalist, holder of 17 world records and 36 US national records; Monte Irvin, left and right fielder in the Negro Leagues and MLB, who played with the Newark Eagles, NY Giants, and Chicago Cubs, credited as one of the earliest African-American MLB players; Jerry Izenberg, sports journalist with The Newark Star- Ledger, known for covering many memorable sporting events and figures of the late Twentieth century; Al Leiter, former MLB left-handed starting pitcher for 19 seasons for NY Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, and NY Mets, studio analyst for MLB network; Carli Lloyd, professional soccer midfielder, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup winner; Willis Reed, played for the New York Knicks for his entire NBA career, voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in History; and Phil Simms, New York Giants star quarterback and MVP of Super Bowl XXI.
About the New Jersey Hall of Fame
The Foundation for New Jersey Hall of Fame (NJHOF) is a non-profit organization honoring citizens who have made invaluable contributions to society, the State of New Jersey, and the world beyond. Since 2008, over 10,000 people have attended nine ceremonies for over 130 notable individuals and groups that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Inductees have included Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Buzz Aldrin, Toni Morrison, Yogi Berra, Bruce Springsteen, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jon Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, Michael Douglas, Tony Bennett, Susan Sarandon, and Jack Nicolson. The NJHOF endeavors to present school children with significant and powerful role models to show that they can and should strive for excellence. Outreach through the New Jersey Hall of Fame Mobile Museum, the first in the nation, has attracted over 300,000 visitors. Sponsors of the NJHOF include Acrisure; Aetna; BGIA; Cablevision; Carpenter Contractor Trust; Charles Edison Fund; Coach USA; Comcast Foundation; Diversified Systems; Edison Innovation Foundation; EisnerAmper LLP; Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader; Genova Burns; Johnson & Johnson; Michael Graves & Associates; New Jersey Education Association; New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group; New Jersey Natural Gas | New Jersey Resources; New Jersey Schools Insurance Group; New Jersey 101.5; NJ Advance Media | NJ.com; NJSEA; Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters; PNC Bank; PSE&G, Ralph Appelbaum & Associates; Red, White & Que Smokeshack, RJWBarnabas Health; Saddleback Real Estate Developers; The Hampshire Real Estate Companies; Townsquare Media; Triple Five Worldwide; and Vanik Interactive. For more information on the NJHOF, its mission and inductees, go to www.njhalloffame.org.
