# New Jersey Hall of Fame

The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond.
The Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by a board of trustees. It was statutorily authorized through Public Law 2005, Chapter 232. This bi-partisan legislation was passed unanimously in the New Jersey Senate on May 13, 2005, passed in the Assembly on June 30, 2005, and signed into law by the governor on September 22, 2005.
In June 2013 it introduced a "mobile museum" designed by Michael Graves and Ralph Applebaum which toured the state for more than 300,000 people over three years. In 2017, it opened a satellite exhibition of five holograms, posters and a ″Wall of Fame″ at Newark Airport. In September 2018 it was announced that the Hall of Fame would move to a permanent home at American Dream Meadowlands.

## Format

The New Jersey Hall of Fame selects potential nominees in five categories: General, Enterprise, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, and Historical. With only rare exceptions, nominees must have resided in New Jersey for a period of at least five years. Selection of inductees is done using a three-phase process. Phase I is conducted by a group of expert panelists selected by the New Jersey Hall of Fame Board, who compose a list of 20 individuals in each category. Phase II incorporates a group of over 100 prominent organization throughout New Jersey who narrow the field down to 6 individuals in each category. Phase III uses a public voting system via the internet and manual ballots. Upon completion of Phase III, the New Jersey Hall of Fame Board selects its inductees based on the top vote-getter in each category, as well as others the board deems deserving.

## Induction ceremony

The first class of inductees was honored in an induction ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on May 4, 2008.

## 2008 inductees

The inaugural class of inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced in a press conference on October 25, 2007, by Governor Jon Corzine.
| Historical | Enterprise | Arts & Entertainment | Sports | General |
| Clara Barton Thomas Edison Albert Einstein | Buzz Aldrin Malcolm Forbes Robert Wood Johnson II | Frank Sinatra Bruce Springsteen Meryl Streep | Yogi Berra Bill Bradley Vince Lombardi | Toni Morrison Norman Schwarzkopf Harriet Tubman |

## 2009 inductees

The 2009 class of inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced on February 2, 2009. The induction ceremony was held May 3, 2009, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
| Historical | Enterprise | Arts & Entertainment | Sports | General |
| Paul Robeson Walt Whitman | Guglielmo Marconi Carl Sagan | Bud Abbott & Lou Costello Jon Bon Jovi Jerry Lewis | Althea Gibson Shaquille O'Neal Phil Rizzuto | F. Scott Fitzgerald William Carlos Williams |

## 2010 inductees

The 2010 class of inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced on December 3, 2009. The induction ceremony was held May 2, 2010, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
| Historical | Enterprise | Arts & Entertainment | Sports | General |
| Alice Paul Les Paul Woodrow Wilson | Michael Graves Wally Schirra | Count Basie Danny DeVito Jack Nicholson Susan Sarandon Frankie Valli | Larry Doby Carl Lewis | Judy Blume William Brennan Philip Roth |

## 2011 Inductees

For list of inductees, see footnote
| Historical | Enterprise | Arts & Entertainment | Sports | General |
| John Basilone | Leon Hess | Tony Bennett Queen Latifah John "Bucky" Pizzarelli John Travolta Bruce Willis | Franco Harris Joe Theismann | Brendan Byrne Mary Higgins Clark William "Bull" Halsey |
The 9/11 Victims were also given a special induction.

## 2012 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote Ten members of the Class of 2012 were inducted on Saturday, June 9, 2012, during a ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center: Milt Campbell (Olympian), John Dorrance (condensed-soup inventor), Michael Douglas (actor), Bob Hurley (basketball coach), Wellington Mara (New York Giants owner), Samuel I. Newhouse (media mogul), Annie Oakley (Wild West Show sensation), Joyce Carol Oates (author), Christopher Reeve (late actor-activist), and Sarah Vaughan (jazz singer).
The eleventh member of the Class of 2012 – the E Street Band – will be inducted at a future date. The Unsung Hero Award was given to Eric LeGrand, the paralyzed former Rutgers University defensive tackle.
| Historical | Enterprise | Entertainment | Sports | General | Unsung Hero |
| Samuel Newhouse Annie Oakley | John Dorrance | E Street Band Michael Douglas Christopher Reeve Sarah Vaughan | Milt Campbell Bob Hurley Wellington Mara | Joyce Carol Oates | Eric LeGrand |

## 2013 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Historical | Enterprise | Entertainment | Sports | General | Unsung Hero |
| Grover Cleveland Thomas Paine | Bobbi Brown Raymond G. Chambers David Sarnoff | Alice Guy-Blaché Celia Cruz Whitney Houston J. Seward Johnson Joe Piscopo Dionne Warwick | Joetta Clark Diggs "Jersey Joe" Walcott | Tom Kean | Kathleen DiChiara |

## 2014 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performance Arts | Public Service | Sports | Unsung Hero |
| Dorothy Parker Brian Williams | Howard Katz Alice Waters | Dizzy Gillespie James Gandolfini The Shirelles | James Florio Peter J. McGuire Elizabeth Cady Stanton | Patrick Ewing | Maud Dahme |

## 2015 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports | Unsung Hero |
| James Fenimore Cooper Anna Quindlen | William Fox Lewis Katz Bernard Marcus | Kool & the Gang Jon Stewart | Jack H. Jacobs Frank Lautenberg | Derek Jeter Christie Pearce Dick Vitale | Carla Harris |

## 2016 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports | Unsung Hero |
| Carol Higgins Clark Connie Chung | Alfred Koeppe Arthur Imperatore Sr. | Kelly Ripa Ray Liotta Tommy James Wyclef Jean | Peace Pilgrim Philip Kearny | Carol Blazejowski Chuck Wepner | Ed Goldstein Sue Goldstein |

## 2017 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports |
| Harlan Coben | Joe Buckelew Steve Forbes Jon F. Hanson Buddy Valastro | The Four Seasons Gloria Gaynor Debbie Harry Steven Van Zandt | Millicent Fenwick Mark Kelly Scott Kelly Clara Maass | Al Leiter Carli Lloyd |

## 2018 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports |
| Peter Benchley Jerry Izenberg George R. R. Martin Timothy White | J. Fletcher Creamer Sr. F. M. Kirby II Tim McLoone Mary Roebling Arthur F. Ryan Martha Stewart | Jason Alexander Southside Johnny Lyon The Smithereens | Elizabeth A. Allen Victor Parsonnet | Harry Carson Anne Donovan Laurie Hernandez Bart Oates |

## 2019-2020 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote These two years had their inductees jointly awarded.
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports |
| Charles Addams Alfred Joyce Kilmer Stephen Crane Fran Lebowitz Mort Pye Alfred E. Driscoll | Fairleigh Dickinson Linda Bowden Steve Kalafer Borg Family Joseph Simunovich | Ed Harris Ernie Kovacs Emily "Cissy" Houston Clerow "Flip" Wilson John Amos Nelson Family Danny Aiello | Milton Friedman Virginia Apgar Martin Dempsey Jane Frances Brady | Richard "Rick" Dennis Barry III Elisha "Eli" Nelson Manning Gerry Cooney Robert Mulcahy III C. Vivian Stringer |

## 2021 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports |
| Dorothea Lange Anne Morrow Lindbergh | Madeline McWhinney Dale Madam Louise Scott Paul Volcker Sara Spencer Washington | George Benson Sarah Dash Mary Chapin Carpenter | Margaret Bancroft Alexander Hamilton David Mixner William Paterson Gustave F. Perna Antonin Scalia | Val Ackerman Monte Irvin |

## 2022 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports | Unsung Heroes |
| Margaret Bourke-White Walter Dean Myers | The Unanue Family Dr. Roy Vagelos Ralph Izzo | Max Weinberg Chelsea Handler | Gov. Richard J. Hughes Dorothea Dix | Heather O'Reilly Ron Jaworski | NJ Medal of Honor Recipients |

## 2023 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports | Unsung Heroes |
| Dorothy Porter Wesley George Segal | Finn Wentworth Josh S. Weston | David Chase Tony Orlando Patti Scialfa | Steve Adubato Sr. Charles Edison George Shultz | Tiki Barber Sue Wicks | Anna Diaz-White Michael Fux |

## 2024 inductees

For a list of inductees, see footnote
| Arts & Letters | Education & Science | Enterprise | Performing Arts | Public Service | Sports | Unsung Heroes |
| Gay Talese | Elizabeth Coleman White John Forbes Nash Avi Wigderson | George Cooney Peter Cancro Donald Katz | Lesley Gore Warren Littlefield Paul Rudd Kevin Smith Meryl Streep | Father Edwin D. Leahy Geraldine Thompson | Dick Button Tim Howard Ron Johnson Phil Simms |