The 11 new inductees include John Dorrance (1873-1930), the inventor of condensed soup for what became the Campbell Soup Company; actor Christopher Reeve (1952-2004), a longtime Princeton resident best remembered for his screen portral of Superman, but also an advocate for people with spinal cord injuries; and Wellington T. Mara (1916-1926), who brought the football Giants to New Jersey in 1976.
Along with Reeve, other inductees in the Arts & Entertainment field are New Brunswick-born actor/producer Michael Douglas; jazz singer Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990), who grew up in Newark; and the E Street Band, the legendary backing group for Bruce Springsteen. (Springsteen was inducted in the Hall’s first class, in 2008.)
Other inductees are publishing giant Samuel I. Newhouse (1895-1979), whose Advance Publications owns the Star-Ledger; legendary western figure and Nutley native Annie Oakley (1860-1926); author and Princeton writing professor Joyce Carol Oates; Olympic gold medalist and professional football star Milt Campbell of Plainfield; and Jersey City’s Bob Hurley, the legendary basketball coach at St. Anthony High School.
This year’s class will be inducted at a red-carpet ceremony June 9 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on March 1.
The latest honorees were announced by Governor Chris Christie at a media event today in Trenton. At the ceremony, Hall of Fame officials also unveiled the latest plans for a mobile Hall of Fame museum, including designs provided pro bono by architect Michael Graves, himself a Hall of Fame member.
Inductees are based on a public vote from among nominees chosen by the Hall of Fame’s Voting Academy.