Frankie Valli & Susan Sarandon Honored in New Jersey Hall of Fame

Among the 2010 inductees into the New Jersey Hall of Fame are Frankie Valli and stage and screen star Susan Sarandon. They, along with the additional thirteen honorees, will be honored at a gala on May 2 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Governor-elect Chris Christie unveiled 15 inductees to the New Jersey Hall of Fame, an impressive list which included music legend and inventor Les Paul, feminist Alice Paul, architect Michael Graves and baseball pioneer Larry Doby. In addition to Valli and Sarandon, the list included movie stars Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito, novelists Judy Blume and Phillip Roth and track and field superstar Carl Lewis, and Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. Rounding out the list was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts Oradell resident Wally Schirra.

"As with our first two classes of inductees, this roster of New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees is extraordinary," said Bart Oates, chairman of the NJHOF Board of Commissioners. "The people of our state should be proud of these individuals who have attained remarkable success by following their dreams. We hope that the Hall of Fame not only serves as an inspiration for young people but challenges them to pursue their dreams and become the best they can."

The Class of 2010 will be inducted at a gala red carpet ceremony on Sunday, May 2nd at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Tickets will not go on sale to the general public until the spring, but are available now to sponsors and donors. More information can be found on the website at www.NJHallofFame.org.

In addition to introducing the Class of 2010, Hall of Fame officials also unveiled the site of their first regional museum, the Auditorium Building of the State Museum in Trenton. Up to now, the Hall of Fame has been a virtual museum, but is now moving forward to open the first major exhibit within the next 12 to 18 months.

"The State Museum is an appropriate site for the first of four regional locations around the state," explained Don Jay Smith, Executive Director. "We are also exploring options in Newark, Atlantic City and Asbury Park for the future so that the stories of all of our remarkable inductees can be easily accessible to everyone in the state."

Smith also outlined future plans for a Mobile Museum which will take exhibits to schools and communities around the state and several Walls of Fame, projects which will be completed as the funds are raised.

The New Jersey Education Association and the consulting and accounting firm J.H. Cohn, LLP have taken the lead in providing support in the establishment of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Additional sponsors include Comcast, Cablevision, PNC Bank, Continental Airlines, Edison Innovation Foundation, NJN, GEM Limousine, Hilton Short Hills, Advanced Parking Concepts, PSE&G, Verizon, Horizon, Group One Investments, Gellman Images, Lacy's Express and National Retail Systems. Media sponsors include the Star-Ledger, My9, Fox News and News 12 New Jersey.

Susan Sarandon Edison, an Edison High School graduate who has become a popular film and television actress known also for her political activism; a five-time Academy Award nominee with one win, she has been honored for her work as an advocate for victims of hunger and HIV/AIDS among many awards. She appeared on Broadway most recently in last season's Exit the King.

Frankie Valli, Famously of Newark, is memorialized in the blockbuster musical Jersey Boys. A musical icon, Valli became famous as the frontman for The Four Seasons and is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; he had 29 Top 40 hits with The Four Seasons and nine Top 40 hits as a solo artist.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride