Super Class for NJ Hall of Fame

The 11 new inductees to the New Jersey Hall of Fame represent a variety of talent—from soup to Superman.

Courtesy of Warner Brothers.

From soup to Superman to the Super Bowl-winning Giants, the Garden State’s impact on contemporary America is evident in the 2012 class of New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees. The 11 new inductees will be honored June 9 with a red-carpet ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

The class of 2012 includes John Dorrance (1873-1930), the inventor of condensed soup for what became the Campbell’s Soup Company; actor Christopher Reeve (1952-2004), a longtime Princeton resident best remembered for his screen portrayal of Superman, but also an advocate for people with spinal cord injuries; and Wellington T. Mara (1916-2005), who brought the football Giants to New Jersey in 1976.

Along with Reeve, other inductees in the arts and 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.

Nominees are determined by the Hall of Fame’s Voting Academy and ultimately chosen in a public vote.
Tickets for the fifth annual induction gala are available at njhalloffame.org. This year’s entertainment will include LaBamba and the Hubcaps, the Bucky Pizzarelli Trio and many surprise guests.

[justified_image_grid exclude="featured"]
Read more Jersey Living articles.

By submitting comments you grant permission for all or part of those comments to appear in the print edition of New Jersey Monthly.

Required
Required not shown
Required not shown