Martha Stewart and 12 other notables will be inducted June 5 into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. That will bring to 56 the number of individuals honored since the first induction ceremony in 2008.
“It’s a charming honor,” Stewart tells New Jersey Monthly. “And it’s also nice to let people know who actually started in New Jersey. And there are a lot of really, really great people who have grown up in New Jersey.”
Individuals are nominated for the Hall of Fame by a special voting academy from a list of worthy names compiled by a panel of experts in five categories: arts and entertainment, enterprise, general, historical and sports. The public then votes online for the final honorees.
Tickets for the ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark can be purchased through NJPAC (888-GO-NJPAC); ticket packages, which include valet parking, priority seating, and access to the red carpet and a post-event party, can be purchased at njhalloffame.org.
Here are the 2011 inductees:
Arts and Entertainment:
Tony Bennett, singer; Englewood
Queen Latifah, R&B/hip-hop artist and actress; Newark, East Orange
John “Bucky” Pizzarelli, jazz guitarist; Paterson, Saddle River
John Travolta, actor; Englewood
Bruce Willis, actor; Penns Grove
Enterprise:
Leon Hess, Hess Corporation founder and former owner of the New York Jets; Asbury Park
Martha Stewart, businesswoman, author and television personality; Nutley
General:
Brendan Byrne, New Jersey’s 47th governor; West Orange
Mary Higgins Clark, author; Saddle River, Spring Lake
William “Bull” Halsey, admiral, U.S. Navy; Elizabeth
Historical:
John Basilone, U.S. Marines gunnery sergeant; Raritan
Sports:
Franco Harris, pro football star; Fort Dix
Joe Theismann, pro football star and sportscaster; New Brunswick