New Jersey Hall of Fame to Hold 11th Annual Induction Ceremony

The Garden State’s brightest stars will be out for the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s 11th annual induction ceremony, to be held on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, on the famed Jersey Shore boardwalk.

The event honors 19 of New Jersey’s most distinguished citizens as they are officially inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state. More than 1,500 inductees, special guests, sponsors, and members of the media will be in attendance for one of New Jersey’s premiere evenings.

Inductees and other stars will walk the red carpet starting at 6 pm in the Convention Hall promenade, and the public is invited to attend. NJ Advance Media will stream the ceremony on the NJ.com homepage through a new partnership with the NJHOF. All living inductees are scheduled to attend the 7 pm induction ceremony at the Paramount, which is part of the Asbury Park Convention Hall complex. Several inductees will be honored posthumously.

Jon Bon Jovi, who was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame for 2009, will in turn be inducting Southside Johnny Lyon as a new member. The Smithereens and Darlene Love are among those scheduled to perform at the ceremony. Bon Jovi’s side band, The Kings of Suburbia, which performs with him at benefits, private events, and other special appearances, will be the house band for the evening, led by musical director Carl Gentry.

“We are excited about honoring some of the Garden State’s best and brightest on October 27,” said Jon F. Hanson, New Jersey Hall of Fame chairman. “Every year, our induction gala and star-studded red carpet gets better and better – and this year will be no exception. The ceremony honoring our 2019 class is both a celebration of the inductees’ achievements and a celebration of New Jersey. We also are pleased that proceeds from the induction will benefit our permanent museum at American Dream.”

Tickets to the public had been sold out at the beginning of October, but later in the month, a limited number of additional balcony seats became available through Ticketmaster at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00005724ADB02FA7. Individuals and businesses were also invited to participate in this very special event in a significant way, with sponsorships available at various levels, including: $50,000 Sponsorship/Co-Chair, $25,000 Sponsorship/Vice-Chair, $10,000 Sponsorship/Hosts, $5,000 Platinum Sponsorship, $2,500 Gold Sponsorship, and $1,000 Benefactor. Each level offers various amenities according to the respective price points, such as backstage VIP photos, red carpet media interviews, VIP seating for the induction ceremony, tickets to the dinner reception with the inductees, tickets for the general reception in Convention Hall, ads in the event program, VIP parking, complimentary admission to the NJHOF Mobile Museum, and sponsorship recognition on marketing materials, event signage, and website. As a 501(c)(3) organization, donations to the New Jersey Hall of Fame are tax deductible.  Proceeds from the event, which will cap off the Hall of Fame’s capital campaign, are to benefit the NJHOF’s permanent museum at the American Dream complex in East Rutherford, NJ. For information about sponsorships, contact Sarah Essa at sarah@njhalloffame.org.

The New Jersey Hall of Fame 2018 Class of inductees includes:

ARTS AND LETTERS

Author Peter Benchley of Princeton**

Sport columnist Jerry Izenberg of Neptune

“Game of Thrones” author George R. R. Martin of Bayonne

Photographer Timothy White of Fort Lee

ENTERPRISE

Businessman J. Fletcher Creamer Sr. of Saddle River**

Businessman F.M. Kirby II of Harding**

Restaurateur and entrepreneur Tim McLoone of Little Silver

Businessman Arthur F. Ryan of Newark

Businesswoman Mary Roebling of Trenton**

Businesswoman and TV personality Martha Stewart of Nutley

PERFORMING ARTS

Actor Jason Alexander of Livingston

Musician Southside Johnny Lyon of Neptune

Musicians The Smithereens (Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, the late Pat DiNizio, Mike Mesaros) of Carteret and Scotch Plains

PUBLIC SERVICE

Activist Elizabeth Allen of Hoboken**

Physician and professor Victor Parsonnet of Newark

SPORTS

NY Giant Harry Carson of Franklin Lakes

Gymnast Laurie Hernandez of Old Bridge

NY Giant Bart Oates of Harding

Basketball player and coach Anne Donovan of Ridgewood**

** – Being honored posthumously

UNSUNG HERO

Cape May mainstays Joseph and Anne Salvatore are the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s Unsung Heroes for 2019. The Salvatores are renowned for achieving extraordinary results in preserving New Jersey’s historic and architectural heritage. Among their many accomplishments: As volunteers, they have established two successful museums, listed six properties and one object on the state and national registrars of historic places, have saved more than 26 threatened buildings by restoring or rehabilitating them, and have been leaders in promoting the development of heritage tourism.

Dr. and Mrs. Salvatore first became involved in historic preservation in 1973, when they founded and began to develop Historic Cold Spring Village in Cape May County. They went on to assemble a collection of 18^th– and 19^th-century houses and other historic buildings, most of them having been threatened with demolition or suffering from neglect. They moved the buildings from Cape May and nearby Cumberland County to their 35-acre homestead three miles north of Cape May City.

The buildings were preserved and restored, and now form the core of a non-profit museum, where the crafts and lifestyles of the early to mid-1800s are brought to life. Today, the village and its 26 historic buildings attract more than 35,000 visitors yearly. They are also active in saving the World War II hangar at Naval Air Station Wildwood and converting it into a high-quality air museum.

The Salvatores have been honored with many awards, including honors from the New Jersey Governor’s Office, New Jersey Association of Museums, South Jersey Cultural Alliance, New Jersey Historical Commission, American Association for State and Local History, the cities of Wildwood and North Wildwood, and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

ADDITIONAL HONOREES

Also to be honored at the October 27 ceremony are:

Christopher Maximos of Delbarton School (Morris County) and Semon Makar Zekry of Innovation High School (Hudson County) as the winners of the Arete Scholarship Fund. Each senior will receive a $5,000 scholarship. “Arete” is a concept that Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle referred to more than 3,000 years ago, in reference to actualizing one’s highest sense of self with a moral excellence of character.

Essay winner Stella Iyengar, a sixth-grader at South Orange Middle School (Essex County), who nominated U.S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad due to her advocating for the rights of Muslim women.

About the NJHOF

The Foundation for New Jersey Hall of Fame 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, the NJHOF has hosted 10 ceremonies for more than 140 notable individuals and groups in recognition of their induction into the Hall of Fame. The NJHOF endeavors to present schoolchildren with significant and impactful role models to show that they can, and should, strive for excellence. The NJHOF is thankful for the support of its many sponsors, without which none of their endeavors would be possible. For more information, go to www.njhalloffame.org.