Home  News New Jersey Hall of Fame Nominates Bon Jovi, Jack Nicholson & Shaq
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New Jersey Hall of Fame Nominates Bon Jovi, Jack Nicholson & Shaq
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New teaching curriculum and first satellite sites also announced
New Jersey Hall of Fame(
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The New Jersey Hall of Fame announced 30 nominees in five categories as the organization launched voting for the Class of 2008. These leaders and legends, from presidents to poets, in the categories of Historical, Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Enterprise and General, hail from all corners of New Jersey and share a close relationship to the state.
The second annual Hall of Fame nomination process began in early summer when a panel of experts, comprised of university professors, scientists, editors, authors and other authorities, reviewed and critiqued a list of more than 160 potential Hall of Famers. That list, compiled over the past three years, was culled to the top 125 and presented to the Voting Academy, which is the voting steering committee for the Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy is made up of approximately 100 of the state’s most prominent organizations as well as former Governors, with Governor Jon Corzine serving as honorary chair.
The Voting Academy then voted to determine the top six nominees in each category. In the Historical Category, the nominees are Grover Cleveland, Molly Pitcher, Paul Robeson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Walt Whitman and Woodrow Wilson. In the field of Arts & Entertainment, the nominees are Abbott & Costello, Count Basie, John Bon Jovi, Jerry Lewis, Jack Nicholson and Sarah Vaughn. In Sports, the list includes Larry Doby, Althea Gibson, Carl Lewis, Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Rizzuto and Joe Theismann. In Enterprise, the nominees are Milton Friedman, Guglielmo Marconi, Mary Roebling, Carl Sagan, David Sarnoff and Wally Schirra. And in the General Category, the nominees are Justice William Brennan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Admiral William Halsey, Dorothy Parker, Philip Roth and William Carlos Williams.
"As with our first class of nominees presented in 2007, this assemblage of New Jersey Hall of Fame nominees is indeed impressive," said Bart Oates, chairman of the NJHOF Board of Commissioners.
"The people of our state should be proud of these New Jerseyans and can find great role models from all walks of life."
Now through November 30, all New Jerseyans can vote on-line at the Hall of Fame website which is www.NJHallofFame.org.
In addition to announcing the start of the voting, the New Jersey Hall of Fame also introduced an interdisciplinary instructional unit, created by a panel of teachers under the leadership of the NJEA, which draws upon the Hall of Fame to teach students about New Jersey history and the voting process.
“This curriculum guide,” explained Marie Blistan, a Gloucester County teacher and co- chair of the committee that developed the unit, “can be used at all grade levels and affords teachers an excellent way to teach students about the voting process. We are looking forward to having the Hall of Fame become a staple in our classrooms.”
Although supported only by private funds, the Hall of Fame is operating under the auspices of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA).
The museum is overseen by a Hall of Fame Advisory Commission, led by chairman Bart Oates. The other members of the Commission include Randy Beverly, Rick Cerone, Herb Gilsenberg, Carl Goldberg, Ronnie Goldberg, Virginia Littell, John O’Brien, Judy Raines, Dennis Robinson and Cesar Shapiama.
While the Hall of Fame currently exists on the web, it was announced that several satellite museums would be opening in locations in North, Central and South Jersey. According to officials, the first to open will be a Hall of Fame display at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands, most likely to open in early 2008 and there will be a museum exhibit in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Designs for these satellite museums have been underwritten by the Edison Innovation Foundation with additional support provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“By launching these satellite museum locations in different parts of the state, we are taking the Hall of Fame to the people of New Jersey,” explained Don Jay Smith, the museum’s executive director. “Families can easily pay a visit to one of these sites not only to teach their children about New Jersey history, but also to inspire them to excel. With the high price of gas, this convenience will no doubt be appreciated.”
Both the New Jersey Education Association and the consulting and accounting firm J.H. Cohn, LLP have taken the lead in providing support in the establishment of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Other sponsors include the NJSEA, Johnson & Johnson, the New Jersey Cable Telecommunications Association, Comcast, Cablevision, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Continental Airlines, and the Star-Ledger.
“The Hall of Fame relies solely on private donations,” explained Steve Edwards of the Hall of Fame Foundation Board of Trustees and Executive Producer of the annual Induction Ceremony, “so we deeply appreciate the commitment to New Jersey exhibited by these organizations. It is an investment in the future of our great state.”
The public can vote for their selections to The New Jersey Hall of Fame on-line at NJHallofFame.org. The winners will be announced in early January.
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