JerseyDevil
06-06-2006, 12:18 AM
I've finally gotten the okay to announce this and I know many of you will be excited about this and so I hope you will be very active in this forum and spread the word. This forum is a discussion on the proposed New Jersey Hall of Fame (http://www.NJHallOfFame.com). AboutNewJersey.com is one of the members of the New Jersey Hall of Fame Academy Members (http://www.njhalloffame.com/factsheet.htm). It will be the academy members job to vote on the inductees and to help guide the hall of fame's development.
There will be several categories, such as Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Historical, Enterprise and General. It will be our responsibility to narrow each category down to five inductees. The voting will then go to the general public who will be voting on this and choose the final winners through online voting.
This isn't just a fly by night thing. There is a 50,000 square ft state-of-art museum planned, UPN 9 will be covering the award ceremony, and a huge media event is planned. To give you some background this was established through an act of the NJ legislature, but initially it was only going to be a NJ Sports Hall of Fame. After much thought, it wa decided why only honor sports? However, in that bill it states that the museum would be placed in the Meadowlands. That may change and I am actually trying to get it moved to a more central location. Right now there is talk of it being part of Xanadu. My idea is to either have it in Trenton, Toms River, or my latest location I came up with tonight was Jackson around Great Adventure. I think around Great Adventure would be a perfect spot. So where do you think would be a good location? They are looking for a location where it gets a lot of visitors. My feeling on a more central location is so neither southern nor northern New Jersey feels slighted by the location and so people from either end of the state can easily go see it. As I said repeatedly on this board, we have to start reconnecting the state.
I won't be able to talk much about what is happening with the voting and who I am voting for, but I wll be asking your opinions on things.
So who do you think deserves to be inducted into the NJ Hall of Fame and why?
What are your thoughts on this?
Here is an article from July 2005
Who should be in N.J. Hall of Fame?
By DAVID LEVINSKY
Burlington County Times
New Jersey may be best known outside its borders as the land of turnpike exits, but those who live here know the Garden State has produced more than pollution and political corruption.
Most people elsewhere know that Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra and Jon Bon Jovi are New Jersey boys, but how many also know that actor Jack Nicholson, Washington former Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman and President Grover Cleveland also called the Garden State home?
Burlington County alone was once home to Olympic and track star Carl Lewis, football star Franco Harris, Colonial-era revolutionist Thomas Paine and actress Calista Flockhart of "Ally McBeal" fame.
Recognizing these and other high achievers from New Jersey is the idea behind legislation to create a New Jersey Hall of Fame at the Meadowlands.
Before anyone cracks a joke, know this: Your elected lawmakers are serious about this one.
Both houses of the state Legislature have approved a bill creating the new hall, which would supplement or augment the existing New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame at the Meadowlands with one that also recognizes high achievers in the arts, music, literature, science, business, religion, athletics, the military, and government.
Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey has not signed the bill. A spokesman said Codey supports the measure, which he voted for in the Senate, but that there is no timetable on him signing the bill.
Space for the hall is even being reserved at the Xanadu sports entertainment and shopping complex being built at the Meadowlands, and the bill appropriates $95,000 for startup expenses.
Which leaves one obvious question: Who should be inducted?
Any answer is pure speculation, but several Burlington County officials and residents were willing to weigh in about those with and without county ties.
The consensus opinion about the hall was that it's a good idea, especially given national propensity for New Jersey punch lines.
"Given that New Jersey is often maligned, I think it would be nice for people to know about all the contributions New Jersey residents have made," said Gail Sweet, director of the Burlington County Library system.
"There really are a lot of people from here that have done extraordinary things," she said while listing off the names of Alice Paul, Mary Roebling and Elizabeth White.
In case you didn't know, Alice Paul, born and raised in Mount Laurel, was a internationally renowned leader of the woman's rights movement.
Mary Roebling of Trenton was the first woman to head a major commercial bank and was the first female governor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Elizabeth White of Whitesbog, now Pemberton Township, helped develop the first cultivated blueberry.
Ask Burlington County Clerk Phil Haines about his choices for a state Hall of Fame and he'll bring up John Woolman, the Mount Holly Quaker who spoke out against slavery during the 1700s.
"Some would argue Woolman really started the emancipation movement," Haines said.
Other suggestions by Haines included: Clara Barton, the Bordentown City resident who helped found the American Red Cross; 19th century industrialist and inventor Hezekiah Smith of Eastampton; "Last of the Mohicans" author James Fennimore Cooper of Burlington City and Dr. James Still of Medford, an early black physician.
Burlington County College President Robert Messina pointed to a more contemporary contributor, former Burlington County Times Publisher Joe Browne for his work with the Burlington County Literacy Committee and county Chamber of Commerce.
"He's the type of person I would like to see in a hall of fame," Messina said, "not just people who are popular or who appear in newspaper headlines all the time, but real contributors."
Former county Clerk Edward Kelly suggested former Burlington City Mayor Herman Costello along with Henry Rowan, the Westampton industrialist who in 1992 pledged a $100 million donation to then Glassboro State College, which was renamed Rowan in his honor.
Many of these names were unfamiliar to county residents. Asked about the Hall of Fame, most people interviewed at the Burlington Center Mall selected entertainers or athletes.
Whitney Houston, she's from New Jersey right?" asked Pat Haywood of Willingboro at the mall. "Carl Lewis is from Willingboro, he should be on the list."
Willingboro resident Margrett Guy said she would vote for Codey.
"He really picked up for that guy McGreevey after he announced you-know-what," Guy said.
Perhaps the jokesters are right about us. In fact, several people couldn't name more than one deserving New Jerseyan.
"Frank Sinatra from Hoboken. He's the only person I can think of, other than my husband," said Mount Laurel resident Marie Vacanti. "It's sad isn't it."
There will be several categories, such as Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Historical, Enterprise and General. It will be our responsibility to narrow each category down to five inductees. The voting will then go to the general public who will be voting on this and choose the final winners through online voting.
This isn't just a fly by night thing. There is a 50,000 square ft state-of-art museum planned, UPN 9 will be covering the award ceremony, and a huge media event is planned. To give you some background this was established through an act of the NJ legislature, but initially it was only going to be a NJ Sports Hall of Fame. After much thought, it wa decided why only honor sports? However, in that bill it states that the museum would be placed in the Meadowlands. That may change and I am actually trying to get it moved to a more central location. Right now there is talk of it being part of Xanadu. My idea is to either have it in Trenton, Toms River, or my latest location I came up with tonight was Jackson around Great Adventure. I think around Great Adventure would be a perfect spot. So where do you think would be a good location? They are looking for a location where it gets a lot of visitors. My feeling on a more central location is so neither southern nor northern New Jersey feels slighted by the location and so people from either end of the state can easily go see it. As I said repeatedly on this board, we have to start reconnecting the state.
I won't be able to talk much about what is happening with the voting and who I am voting for, but I wll be asking your opinions on things.
So who do you think deserves to be inducted into the NJ Hall of Fame and why?
What are your thoughts on this?
Here is an article from July 2005
Who should be in N.J. Hall of Fame?
By DAVID LEVINSKY
Burlington County Times
New Jersey may be best known outside its borders as the land of turnpike exits, but those who live here know the Garden State has produced more than pollution and political corruption.
Most people elsewhere know that Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra and Jon Bon Jovi are New Jersey boys, but how many also know that actor Jack Nicholson, Washington former Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman and President Grover Cleveland also called the Garden State home?
Burlington County alone was once home to Olympic and track star Carl Lewis, football star Franco Harris, Colonial-era revolutionist Thomas Paine and actress Calista Flockhart of "Ally McBeal" fame.
Recognizing these and other high achievers from New Jersey is the idea behind legislation to create a New Jersey Hall of Fame at the Meadowlands.
Before anyone cracks a joke, know this: Your elected lawmakers are serious about this one.
Both houses of the state Legislature have approved a bill creating the new hall, which would supplement or augment the existing New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame at the Meadowlands with one that also recognizes high achievers in the arts, music, literature, science, business, religion, athletics, the military, and government.
Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey has not signed the bill. A spokesman said Codey supports the measure, which he voted for in the Senate, but that there is no timetable on him signing the bill.
Space for the hall is even being reserved at the Xanadu sports entertainment and shopping complex being built at the Meadowlands, and the bill appropriates $95,000 for startup expenses.
Which leaves one obvious question: Who should be inducted?
Any answer is pure speculation, but several Burlington County officials and residents were willing to weigh in about those with and without county ties.
The consensus opinion about the hall was that it's a good idea, especially given national propensity for New Jersey punch lines.
"Given that New Jersey is often maligned, I think it would be nice for people to know about all the contributions New Jersey residents have made," said Gail Sweet, director of the Burlington County Library system.
"There really are a lot of people from here that have done extraordinary things," she said while listing off the names of Alice Paul, Mary Roebling and Elizabeth White.
In case you didn't know, Alice Paul, born and raised in Mount Laurel, was a internationally renowned leader of the woman's rights movement.
Mary Roebling of Trenton was the first woman to head a major commercial bank and was the first female governor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Elizabeth White of Whitesbog, now Pemberton Township, helped develop the first cultivated blueberry.
Ask Burlington County Clerk Phil Haines about his choices for a state Hall of Fame and he'll bring up John Woolman, the Mount Holly Quaker who spoke out against slavery during the 1700s.
"Some would argue Woolman really started the emancipation movement," Haines said.
Other suggestions by Haines included: Clara Barton, the Bordentown City resident who helped found the American Red Cross; 19th century industrialist and inventor Hezekiah Smith of Eastampton; "Last of the Mohicans" author James Fennimore Cooper of Burlington City and Dr. James Still of Medford, an early black physician.
Burlington County College President Robert Messina pointed to a more contemporary contributor, former Burlington County Times Publisher Joe Browne for his work with the Burlington County Literacy Committee and county Chamber of Commerce.
"He's the type of person I would like to see in a hall of fame," Messina said, "not just people who are popular or who appear in newspaper headlines all the time, but real contributors."
Former county Clerk Edward Kelly suggested former Burlington City Mayor Herman Costello along with Henry Rowan, the Westampton industrialist who in 1992 pledged a $100 million donation to then Glassboro State College, which was renamed Rowan in his honor.
Many of these names were unfamiliar to county residents. Asked about the Hall of Fame, most people interviewed at the Burlington Center Mall selected entertainers or athletes.
Whitney Houston, she's from New Jersey right?" asked Pat Haywood of Willingboro at the mall. "Carl Lewis is from Willingboro, he should be on the list."
Willingboro resident Margrett Guy said she would vote for Codey.
"He really picked up for that guy McGreevey after he announced you-know-what," Guy said.
Perhaps the jokesters are right about us. In fact, several people couldn't name more than one deserving New Jerseyan.
"Frank Sinatra from Hoboken. He's the only person I can think of, other than my husband," said Mount Laurel resident Marie Vacanti. "It's sad isn't it."