New Jersey Hall of Fame Fact Sheet

Mission

The New Jersey Hall of Fame was created to honor citizens who have made invaluable contributions to society and the world beyond. The Hall of Fame reinforces the message to children that they can and should strive for excellence in any endeavor of their choosing. By presenting significant and powerful role models and teaching young people about the voting process, the Hall of Fame is a source of learning, inspiration and hope for children.

Legislation

The New Jersey Hall of Fame was statutorily authorized through Public Law 2005, Chapter 232, N.J.S.A. 5:10-6.1, et seq. This bi-partisan legislation was passed unanimously in the Senate and Assembly and signed into law on September 22, 2005. It was amended in 2008. Governor Christie and all former Governors have expressed their support for the creation of the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Oversight

The New Jersey Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by a Board of Commissioners and a Foundation Board of Trustees.

Museum Plans

State-of-the-art interactive, educational regional museums are planned for the northern, central and southern parts of the state in order to immortalize our legends and teach people about our great history. These museum sites will be educational destinations for families and schools. A small Hall of Fame exhibition is currently open on the boardwalk in Asbury Park. In addition, plans are now in the works to create a mobile museum which will take the Hall of Fame to schools and communities statewide.

Voting

The Hall of Fame’s Voting Academy is comprised of more than 100 of New Jersey’s most prominent organizations, ethnic groups and media outlets who vote on a list of nominees compiled by a panel of experts in five categories: Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Historical, General and Enterprise. The public then casts their votes on-line for three months in the fall. Thanks to a formal lesson plan developed by a team lead by the NJEA, teachers and schools across the state use the voting as an opportunity for instruction at all levels – from elementary to high school – to teach students about the importance and the process of voting as well as about New Jersey history.

Induction Ceremony

Held each spring, the induction ceremony is an Academy Awards style program with musical performances, film clips and the presentation of the awards. Hugely successful, the first four ceremonies have paid homage to more than 50 legendary New Jerseyans. The list of inductees is impressive: Buzz Aldrin, Clara Barton, John Basilone, Tony Bennett, Yogi Berra, Bill Bradley, Brendan Byrne, Mary Higgins Clark, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Malcolm Forbes, Admiral William Halsey, Franco Harris, Leon Hess, Robert Wood Johnson II, Queen Latifah, Vince Lombardi, Toni Morrison, Bucky Pizzarelli, Norman Schwarzkopf, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, Harriet Tubman, Bud Abbott. Lou Costello, Jon Bon Jovi, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Althea Gibson, Jerry Lewis, Guglielmo Marconi, Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Rizzuto, Paul Robeson, Carl Sagan, Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams, Count Basie, Judy Blume, Justice William Brennan, Danny DeVito, Larry Doby, Michael Graves, Carl Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Alice Paul, Les Paul, Phillip Roth, Susan Sarandon, Wally Schirra, Joe Theismann, Frankie Valli and President Woodrow Wilson.

Media Coverage

The induction ceremonies have enjoyed widespread coverage both in New Jersey and around the world, including the Associated Press, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Star-Ledger, CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News, WINS, WCBS-AM, Life Magazine, ExtraTV, the Tonight Show and many other outlets.

Support

The major sponsors for the New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony include J.H. Cohn LLC, the NJEA, PNC Bank, J&J, Comcast Foundation, Charles Edison Fund, Edison Innovation Foundation, Hess Corporation, Continental Airlines, Short Hills Hilton, Provident Bank and BGIA. The Hall of Fame does not receive any public funding and relies only on private support.