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. This bi-partisan legislation was passed unanimously in the Senate and Assembly and signed into law on September 22, 2005. Governor Christie and all former governors have expressed their support for the creation of this museum.

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 being planned in the northern, central and southern parts of the state in order to immortalize our legends and teach people about our great history. The first site is planned for the State Museum in Trenton with a temporary site opening in Asbury Park this summer. These museum sites will be educational destinations for families and schools. In addition, there are plans to create a mobile museum in order to take the Hall of Fame to schools and communities statewide and Walls of Fame in high traffic locations.

VOTING

The Hall of Fame’s Voting Academy is comprised of more than 120 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
The induction ceremony is held on the first Sunday in May and is an Academy Awards style program with musical performances, film clips and the presentation of the awards. Hugely successful, the first three ceremonies honored 43 legends with only four living inductees not able to attend to accept the honor. The list of inductees is impressive: Buzz Aldrin, Clara Barton, Yogi Berra, Bill Bradley, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Malcolm Forbes, Robert Wood Johnson II, Vince Lombardi, Toni Morrison, 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, Frankie Valli and President Woodrow Wilson.

MEDIA COVERAGE
The induction ceremonies have enjoyed widespread coverage both here in New Jersey as well as 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 newspapers and television stations around the world.

SUPPORT
The major sponsors for the New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony include J.H. Cohn LLC, the NJEA, PNC Bank, PSE&G, Schwartz Simon Edelstein, Madison Marquette, Comcast, Cablevision, Verizon, Edison Innovation Foundation, Centurion Holdings, Continental Airlines, Short Hills Hilton, Flemington Car & Truck Country, Provident Bank, AIA-New Jersey, Delta Dental, McKirdy & Riskin, 101.5FM and AT&T. The Hall of Fame does not receive any public funding and relies only on private support.

www.NJhallofFame.org