Hey New Jersey! It's time to celebrate!
The New Jersey Hall of Fame has announced the next class of Jersey greats.
This year, 18 Garden State natives will be honored at the 16th annual New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. The event is held at American Dream in East Rutherford.
For the six categories, the 18 inductees were selected out of 50 nominees after a public vote, the report stated.
"The 2024 class of Inductees of the New Jersey Hall of Fame illustrate the New Jersey ethic of hard work, determination, and grit," said Jon F. Hanson, Chairman of the NJHOF.
The pre-taped ceremony will be aired Nov. 13 on Fox 5/My9 and on social media.
"We are thrilled to celebrate the contributions of 18 new Inductees so future generations can learn about their journeys," Hanson said.
Here are the inductees for the Class of 2024 New Jersey Hall of Fame:
Arts & Letters
- Author and journalist Gay Talese of Ocean City
Education & Science
- Botanist who is responsible for the nation's first cultivated blueberry Elizabeth Coleman White of Whitesbog.
- A genius mathematician who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Economics John Forbes Nash of Princeton.
- A computer scientist, mathematician, and Turing Award winner who is known for his innovative insights in computer science Avi Wigderson of Princeton.
Enterprise
- The chairman emeritus of EUE/Screen Gems Ltd and visionary who built industry leading entertainment service George Cooney of Bogota.
- Philanthropist and founder of Jersey Mike's Franchise Systems, Inc., Peter Cancro of Point Pleasant.
- Founder of Audible, Inc., award-winning journalist and author Donald Katz of Newark.
Performing Arts & Entertainment
- Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore of Tenafly. She is known for top-chart hits including "You Don't Own Me" and "It's My Party," she received an Academy Award nomination for "Out Here On My Own" from the movie FAME and three Grammy Award nominations.
- NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield of Montclair. Warren oversaw the groundbreaking "Must See TV" lineup, including "Seinfeld."
- Hollywood actor Paul Rudd of Passaic. Rudd has been nominated for a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards and won a Critics' Choice Award.
- Kevin Smith of Red Bank is a director, producer, writer and actor who helmed the Jersey-based comedy "Clerks."
- Multiple Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep of Bernardsville. Streep has won three Academy Awards, eight Golden Globes, is a Kennedy Center Honoree and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Public Service
- Father Edwin D. Leahy of Newark. Father Leahy is a Benedictine monk and Catholic priest, headmaster of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark.
- Geraldine Thompson of Lincroft. Thompson is a social reform pioneer and founder of VNA Health Group who earned the nickname "First Lady of New Jersey" due to her philanthropic and social service activities.
Sports
- Mens Figure skater Dick Button of Englewood. Button is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating, won five consecutive gold medals from the World Championships and an Emmy Award-winning former TV Sport Commentator.
- Soccer Player Tim Howard of New Brunswick. Howard is a former goalkeeper for the United States Men's National Team, regarded as one of the greatest American players of all time.
- NFL Player Ron Johnson of Madison. Johnson is an All-American running back and captain at the University of Michigan, twice earned All-Pro honors with the New York Giants, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and served as chairman of the National Football Foundation.
- NFL Player Phil Simms of Franklin Lake. Simms is a former New York Giants quarterback, Super Bowl MVP and sports analyst.
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