2013 Inductees

Alice Guy Blaché

Entertainment

Fort Lee — Mahwah, New Jersey (1873-1968) Alice Guy spent her early childhood living with her parents in Chile and her grandmother in Switzerland before attending a boarding school in France. In 1894, she was hired by Léon Gaumont to work as a secretary for a still photography company. The company soon went out of business, but Gaumont bought the inventory and started Gaumont Film Company to work in France’s fledgling motion picture industry. Guy served as head of production from 1896 to 1906. Today, she is considered to be the first filmmaker to develop narrative filmmaking. In 1906, she made The Life of Christ, a big-budget production that included 300 actors. By the early 1900s she was directing films in color and synchronized sound.

In 1907, she married Herbert Blaché, who became production manager for Gaumont’s U.S. operations in Fort Lee, the epicenter of the growing film industry. The husband-and-wife team left Gaumont in 1910, partnering with George A. Magie to build The Solax Company. Before U.S. women had the right to vote, she wrote, directed, and produced more than 350 films through World War I. She experimented with sound syncing, color tinting, interracial casting, and special effects long before other filmmakers. Years later, when the film business moved to California, she and her husband divorced. Guy Blaché went to work for William Randolph Hearst’s International Film Service, and she returned to France in 1922. Although she never made another film, she spent the next 30 years lecturing to film students and writing novels from film scripts. In 1953, she was awarded France’s Legion of Honor for her work. In 1965, she returned to Mahwah with her daughter, Simone. She died there on March 24, 1968. After Guy Blaché’s death, Simone found an unpublished manuscript of her mother’s memoirs; she translated the work and printed The Memoirs of Alice Guy Blaché in 1996. Film scholar Alison McMahan published Alice Guy Blaché: Lost Visionary of the Cinema.

The Fort Lee Film Commission created one of the only existing historic markers for Guy Blaché, on Lemoine Avenue adjacent to the Fort Lee High School and on the site of Solax Studio. The commission also is trying to get Guy Blaché entered into the Directors Guild of America and to have her star added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1995, a National Film Board of Canada aired a documentary, The Lost Garden: The Life and Cinema of Alice Guy-Blaché.

Bobbi Brown

Enterprise

Montclair (1953 – ) Bobbi Brown is the Founder and CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. Bobbi first arrived on the beauty scene in 1991 with the launch of Bobbi Brown Essentials, and changed the face of makeup with ten brown-based lipstick shades created to fill a void in the market of simple, flattering and wearable makeup. Bobbi’s philosophy was simple: “Women want to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident.” Her unique approach to cosmetics was a long-awaited gift for women who wanted a more natural look, and therefore caught the attention of cosmetics empire Estée Lauder Companies, which acquired Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in 1995.

Today, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is a global color cosmetics, fragrance and skincare brand with a presence in more than 1000 doors in 60 countries and 30 free-standing stores. Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is coveted by world renowned makeup artists, celebrities and style makers who appreciate Bobbi’s unique approach to beauty and her ability to translate the latest trends into wearable, real-life looks.

In addition to running her company, Bobbi regularly shares her expertise on television, in magazines and newspapers, and online. She is the Contributing Beauty & Lifestyle Editor of Health magazine and Beauty & Lifestyle Editor of Elvis Duran and The Morning Show, a nationally syndicated morning radio show. A sought after lifestyle expert, Bobbi resonates with diverse audiences and has appeared on high profile shows including Oprah, The Martha Stewart Show, and Dr. Oz. Also a New York Times best-selling author, Bobbi has written eight instructional and engaging beauty and lifestyle books. She continues to work editorially and is a permanent fixture backstage at New York Fashion Week, having worked with some of the industry’s most influential designers.

Bobbi’s impact extends well beyond the beauty and fashion industries. Committed to empowering women of all ages, Bobbi supports The Broome Street Academy charter high school and Dress for Success by providing generous financial and in-kind support on a year-round basis. In 2008, she received an honorary doctorate from Montclair State University. In 2010, Bobbi was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation, and was invited by Mrs. Obama to participate in the White House’s Leadership & Mentoring Program for young women.

Furthering her message of self-confidence, Bobbi launched the Pretty Powerful campaign in 2010, inspired by her belief that “all women are pretty without makeup—but with the right makeup can be pretty powerful.” Praised by women everywhere, the campaign was the first in the beauty industry to feature before-and-after photos of “real” women. In spring 2013, she further amplified this message with the launch of The Pretty Powerful Campaign for Women & Girls, the brand’s first-ever global charitable initiative aimed at empowering women and girls with education, resources, job skills and work experience to help them “be who they are.”

As the brand continues to grow globally, Bobbi’s message remains the same: “The secret to beauty is simple—be who you are.”

Raymond G. Chambers

Enterprise

Newark, New Jersey (1942 – ) Born in 1942 in Newark, he went to Rutgers-Newark and earned his MBA from Seton Hall University. Chambers made his fortune as the Chairman of Wesray Capital Corporation, a private equity holding company, which he co-founded with William E. Simon, the former United States Secretary of the Treasury. A successful businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian, he currently serves as the United Nation’s Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Malaria and founded The National Mentoring Partnership and America’s Promise Alliance with Colin Powell. In 2011, Time named Chambers one of its most influential people for his work to end the spread of malaria; the efforts of the organization have cut the spread of the disease by at least 50 percent in most African nations. In 2006, Chambers created a nonprofit company that has raised more than $5 billion to be used for charitable causes.

Most of Chambers’ charitable works center around children and his efforts to revitalize Newark. He made significant contributions to the Newark Boys and Girls Club, which he had belonged to as a child in the 1950s, and he has financed the college educations of hundreds of students from the Newark Public Schools district. He is the Founding Chairman of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and was instrumental in getting the Prudential Center built while he was among the owners of the New Jersey Devils.

Grover Cleveland

Historical

Caldwell (1837 – 1908) Born Stephen Grover Cleveland in Caldwell, the future President of the United States was the son of the Rev. Richard Falley Cleveland, a Presbyterian minister. When he was a child, Cleveland’s family moved to New York as his father took over another congregation. His father died in 1853, and the 16-year-old Cleveland quit school to work with his older brother at the New York Institute for Special Education to support their mother and seven siblings. Cleveland never finished his formal education but moved to Buffalo in 1855 to live with his uncle; in 1859, he studied law and became an attorney. His meteoric rise in politics began when he was elected as the Mayor of Buffalo in 1882. His reputation as an anti-corruption crusader propelled him to be elected Governor as Governor of New York, where he served from 1883 to 1885. While Governor, he also earned the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 1884. He was inaugurated as the 22nd President in 1885. The only bachelor elected as President, Cleveland married 21-year-old Frances Folsom while in office. They had five children.

During his first term, Cleveland presided over the dedication of the Statue of Liberty and oversaw two important pieces of legislation in 1887. The first was the Interstate Commerce Act, which established the Interstate Commerce Commission with the purpose of regulating interstate railroad rates. Secondly, the Dawes Severalty Act granted citizenship and title to reservation land for Native Americans who renounced their tribal allegiance.

After losing to Benjamin Harrison in 1888, Cleveland beat the incumbent in 1892 to become the 24th President of the United States, the only man to have served two non-consecutive terms. Cleveland was a vigilant watchdog of Congress. He exercised his veto power 584 times — the highest of any president except Franklin D. Roosevelt. After he left the White House, Cleveland and his family returned to New Jersey, where he became a lecturer and member of the Board of Trustees of Princeton University. Cleveland died on June 24, 1908, at the age of 71, at the family’s home in Princeton.

NJHOF Trivia: The Baby Ruth bar was named for his first daughter, Ruth, born between his first and second terms. It was not named for New York Yankees icon Babe Ruth, as many have long speculated.

Celia Cruz

Arts & Entertainment

Fort Lee (October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) Born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso de la Santísima Trinidad in the Santos Suárez neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, the artist known as Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa performer. One of the most popular salsa artists of the 20th century, she earned 23 gold albums and was renowned internationally as the “Queen of Salsa”.

Cruz won amateur singing contests as a teenager in Cuba. She tried to follow her father’s dream of becoming a teacher, enrolling at the National Teachers’ College, but dropped out soon after when she gained popularity for her singing. Cruz’s first recordings were made in 1948. In 1950, her singing career took off when she replaced the lead singer in the popular Cuban orchestra Sonora Matancera. Cruz helped the band — and Latin music — raise its profile during tours in Central and North America in the 1950s. When Fidel Castro assumed control of Cuba in 1959, Cruz and her husband, Pedro Knight, became U.S. citizens and settled in Fort Lee.

Cruz became known for her trademark shout “¡Azúcar!” (“Sugar!” in Spanish) during her performances. With Sonora Matancera, she made cameos in some Mexican films such as Salon México (1950) and Una gallega en La Habana (1952). In 1966, Cruz and Tito Puente began a long-lasting association. Cruz’s 1974 album with Johnny Pacheco, Celia y Johnny, was very successful; a decade later, she participated in a documentary film, Salsa, about the Latin culture, along with figures like Dolores del Río and Willie Colon. On July 16, 2002, Cruz performed to a full house at the free outdoor performing arts festival in Central Park SummerStage in New York City. During the performance she sang “Bemba Colora.” A live recording of this song was subsequently made available in 2005 on a commemorative CD honoring the festival’s then 20-year history entitled, “Central Park SummerStage: Live from the Heart of the City.”

NJHOF trivia: Cruz appeared posthumously on the 2006 album, My Friends & Me, by fellow Class of 2013 NJHOF Inductee Dionne Warwick.

Joetta Clark Diggs

Sports

East Orange (1962 – ) Joetta Clark Diggs is an Olympic track athlete who has made an indelible impact in sports and within the community. In her legendary 24-year career, the record-setting daughter of Jetta Clark and noted educator Dr. Joe Clark, the subject of the movie, Lean on Me, is an 11-time USA National Champion in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter categories.

As a high-school athlete, the Columbia High School graduate never lost an 800-meter race in high school and is the only athlete in New Jersey to win the all-groups title for four straight years; she still holds the state’s 800-meter outdoor record.

Clark Diggs was a nine-time NCAA champion and All-American at the University of Tennessee. She represented the U.S. at the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic games. From 1979 until her retirement in 2000, Clark Diggs competed in 20 USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and five Olympic Trials. During her career, Clark Diggs ranked among the top 10 Americans for more than 21 years. From 1991 until 1998, she was ranked among the top 10 in the world; she ranked fourth in the world in 1998.

She was victorious in five of her last eight Trials she raced in and was in the national championship race in 18 of the last 19 years she competed. In addition, she has set World and American records, captured World Championship medals and served as the Captain of the Women’s USA Team in 2000.

Clark Diggs retired from competition in 2000 and established a career as a motivational speaker, businesswoman, author and television personality. As an advocate for children’s health and wellness, she established the Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation in 2002 to promote involvement with physical activities for girls and boys in grades K-12. The Foundation is committed to teaching good health and a positive work ethic, focusing on the correlation between achievement in academics and athletics. The Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation has served more than 50,000 children in New Jersey.

In 2009, she authored her first book Joetta’s “P” Principles For Success: Life Lessons Learned From Track & Field. The acclaimed book has been considered a tremendous resource to both corporate executives and for children. He awards include induction into the USA Track & Field and the University of Tennessee halls of fame, and being named Star-Ledger Women’s Athlete of the Century. In addition, she is a Board Member of Raritan Valley Community College. Clark Diggs is married to Ronald Diggs; they have one child.

NJHOF Trivia: In 2000, Joetta, her younger sister, two-time Olympian Hazel, and their sister- in-law, five-time Olympian Jearl Miles-Clark, made Olympics history when they all participated in the 800-meter run. Joetta’s brother, J.J. Clark, coached the trio.

Whitney Houston

Arts & Entertainment

Newark, NJ (1963-2012)Born in Newark, Whitney Houston was destined to share her remarkable vocal gift. Her mother, Cissy Houston, cousin Dionne Warwick and her godmother, Aretha Franklin, all are legendary figures in American gospel, soul, and pop music. Cissy Houston was the choir minister at New Hope Baptist Church, where Whitney started singing. At 15, Whitney and her mother were performing locally as well as recording backing vocals for other artists, as they did on Chaka Khan’s 1978 hit, “I’m Every Woman.” She also sang on Cissy’s recordings, as well as those for Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson. Houston also worked briefly as a model; in 1981, she became one of the first African-American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen. She began working as a featured vocalist for the New York-based funk band Material, when she was discovered by Arista Records president Clive Davis. Two years later, he turned her into a full-blown pop music star. Her debut album, Whitney Houston, featured two smash hits, “Saving All My Love For You” and “How Will I Know,” propelling the album — which sold 25 million copies around the world — to a 14-week stay at the top of the charts. She won her first Grammy for “Saving All My Love For You” in 1986.

A year later, Houston’s second album, Whitney, became a multi-platinum smash and cemented Houston’s standing as one of the pop music’s greatest singers. In 1992, Houston was married to R&B singer Bobby Brown and took another step in her career, starring opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. The soundtrack included a cover of Dolly Parton’s 1974 hit, “I Will Always Love You,” which topped the charts and became Houston’s biggest hit. Houston won more Grammys for the soundtrack, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Later, in the 1990’s, Houston also starred in The Preacher’s Wife and Waiting to Exhale, both accompanied by hit soundtracks as well. In 1993, her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was born.

Her 1998 album, My Love Is Your Love, was a critical success. Despite a variety of personal struggles, Houston had another critical and popular success with her 2009 comeback album, I Look To You. After her death in 2012, her final film, Sparkle, was released.

NJHOF Trivia: Class of 2013 Inductee Dionne Warwick is Houston’s cousin. Warwick presented Houston with her first Grammy award, in 1986.

J. Seward Johnson

Entertainment

Newark (1930 – ) The grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, a co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, he is an artist most known for his life-size bronze statues that depict people engaging in day-to-day activities. Following an early career as a painter, Seward Johnson turned to sculpting. Since then, more than 450 of Johnson’s life-size cast bronze figures have been featured in private collections and museums in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, as well as prominent places in the public realm such as Rockefeller Center, Pacific Place, Hong Kong, Les Halles in Paris, and Via Condotti in Rome.

Johnson’s most recognized works, part of the Celebrating the Familiar, depict people engaged in everyday activities and brought a unique voice to the world of art in public spaces. Johnson also is recognized for his most dramatic oversized works, including the 70-foot aluminum giant entitled “The Awakening.” This sculpture was selected for the International Sculpture Conference & Exhibition and is currently sited along the Potomac River at National Harbor in Washington, DC. His other most influential pieces include the 26-foot-tall “Forever Marilyn,” with her skirt blowing upwards from the movie Bus Stop, and “Unconditional Surrender,” the depiction of the iconic moment in Times Square when the sailor and nurse kissed in celebration of the conclusion of World War II.

The exhibition history of Johnson’s work includes the Galleria Ca D’oro of Piazza di Spagna in Rome; the cities of Berlin and Hannover, Germany; Oxford, England; the RW Norton Art Museum; the Knoxville Museum of Art; the Jacksonville Art Museum; the island of Sardinia, Italy; The Dubuque Museum of Art; and Yale University. Corporate collectors include the Nike Corporation, Dial/Viad, the Commerz Bank, as well as numerous hospitals and universities. Pieces are held in private and municipal collections in such distant locations as Istanbul, Turkey; the Ukraine; Sydney, Australia; Monte Carlo; Brazil; and Osaka, Japan. His most recent series, Icons Revisited, asks provocative questions concerning our society’s embrace of visual icons and their impact and shift of message over time.

One of Johnson’s greatest philanthropic endeavors began in 1984, when he bought the former State Fairgrounds in Hamilton. By 1992, it had become Grounds For Sculpture, the bucolic 42-acre home for art, dedicated to ensure Johnson’s desire to make contemporary sculpture accessible and offer people from all backgrounds the opportunity to become comfortable with contemporary art in a familiar, accessible, and informal setting. Growing since its inception, the park is now exhibiting over 270 works, including sculptures by renowned artists Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro, Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith, and New Jersey sculptor George Segal. Since 2000, Grounds For Sculpture has operated as a public not-for-profit corporation with a Board of Trustees overseeing its as a not-for-profit and public institution. Grounds For Sculpture relies on the support of visitors, art patrons, donations and grants to offer its programs and activities each year.

Governor Tom Kean

General

Bedminster, NJ (1935-) Tom Kean, the 48th Governor of New Jersey, comes from some of the United State’s most storied families. The family of his father, Robert Winthrop Kean, includes John Kean, Tom’s great-great-grandfather, who served as a delegate from South Carolina to the Continental Congress and as the first Cashier of the Bank of the United States. His great-uncle, Hamilton Fish, was a U.S. Senator, Governor of New York and U.S. Secretary of State. His great-uncle John was U.S. Senator from New Jersey from 1899 to 1911 and served two separate terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1883 to 1885, and from 1887 to 1889. His mother, the former Elizabeth Stuyvesant Howard, was a member of the Stuyvesant family established in this country by Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch colonial governor of Nieuw Amsterdam, which eventually became New York City. His grandmother, Katharine Winthrop, was a direct descendant of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Governor Kean worked tirelessly to create his own path. After graduating from Princeton and Columbia universities, he began his career as an educator and journalist before entering politics. In 1967, Kean, a Republican, was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly. He lost his 1977 bid for New Jersey Governor, but won the election in 1981 and again in 1985. He is held in high regard for his passion for promoting education reform and protecting New Jersey’s natural resources. He always will be remembered for the iconic tourism commercial in which he proclaimed, “New Jersey and you. Perfect together.”

Following his second term, Kean served as President of Drew University for 15 years, retiring in 2005. In 1997, he was appointed as an Advisory Board member of President Clinton’s One America Initiative, designed to ease domestic racial tension. Kean stepped onto the global stage in 2002, when President George W. Bush selected him as Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, which was responsible for investigating the causes of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and providing recommendations to prevent future terrorist attacks. In 2004, the Commission concluded that the 9/11 terror attacks could have been prevented, laying blame in part with the CIA and FBI.

In 2004, Kean and fellow Commissioner Lee H. Hamilton published a book, Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission. Kean and his wife, Deborah, have three children, New Jersey State Senator Tom Kean, Jr., Reed, and Alexandra. Today, Kean serves on a number of corporate boards and charitable organizations. Kean and his dear friend, former Governor — and NJ Hall of Fame member Brendan Byrne — share good-natured, topic-driven banter and analysis of the state in The Star-Ledger.

NJHOF Trivia: In 1958, Newark State College moved from Newark to the Kean family estate in Union Township. In 1973, Newark State was named Kean College of New Jersey in honor of the Kean family; it attained university status in 1997.

Thomas Paine

History

Bordentown, New Jersey (1737-1809) Born on January 29, 1737, in Norfolk, England, Thomas Paine was the only surviving child of Frances and Joseph. His father was Quaker, his mother was Anglican; Paine learned respect for both, but identified more with his father’s Quakerism. He left England for the colonies in 1774 where he became an author, pamphleteer, revolutionary and leading intellectual in pre-Revolutionary War efforts.

His most recognized work, Common Sense, first published in 1776, promoted the revolutionary notions of independence, equal rights for citizens and much more. Paine became friends with Joseph Kirkbride, a Quaker, who became his lifelong friend. When the British destroyed their home in Bucks County, Kirkbride moved his family to Bordentown, a Quaker town founded in 1682. Paine followed, and in 1783, bought the only house and property he ever owned. A statue of Paine was sculpted by Lawrence Holofcener and remains in town. The statue contains the following written message: “Father of the American Revolution .” Paine’s words and deeds put the concepts of independence, equality, democracy, abolition of slavery, representative government and a constitution with a bill of rights on the American agenda. Another statue of Paine, created by Georg Lober, is located in Burnham Park, Morristown. The statue shows Paine in 1776, using a drum as a table during the withdrawal of the army across New Jersey, while composing the first of the Crisis Papers. The statue was dedicated on July 4, 1950, the 174th Anniversary of the Declaration of American Independence.

Paine’s ideas and profound impact on society continue today with the recent release of The Great Debate, historian Yuval Levin’s examination of how the left/right political divide developed in this country, stemming from the progressive liberal sensibilities promoted by Paine and the reforming conservatism of Edmund Burke.

Joe Piscopo

Entertainment

Passaic, New Jersey (1951 – ) Joe is a comedian, actor and entertainer best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. Born Joseph Charles John Piscopo on June 17, 1951, Piscopo worked as a disc jockey and dinner theater performer before he turned to stand-up comedy. In 1980, he and Eddie Murphy dominated the second wave of SNL’s “Not Ready for Primetime Players” and stayed on for the next few years. Piscopo was famous for his impressions of celebrities, the most prominent of which was Frank Sinatra. Sinatra, who repeatedly endorsed Joe’s work, referred to Piscopo as “The Vice-Chairman of the Board.” Piscopo also had a hit single with “The Honeymooners Rap.”

By the time he left SNL in 1985, Piscopo left his mark on the program, and the nation, thanks to his wide range of celebrity impersonations, including David Letterman, as well as outrageous characters such as “The Sports Guy” and “Doug Whiner.” His work on SNL naturally led to Hollywood, and starring roles in such smash hits as Wise Guys (with Danny DeVito) and Johnny Dangerously (with Michael Keaton). Other film credits include Dead Heat, Sidekicks and the independent feature films Two Bits & Pepper, Roger Corman’s Demolition Day and a dramatic, critically acclaimed performance in Jonathan Parker’s Bartleby. In January 1996, Joe starred on Broadway as disc jockey Vince Fontaine in Grease!

Live performances have always been an important part of Joe’s career. He has filled arenas and casino showrooms from coast to coast and in Canada. Joe also has won acclaim for his dramatic guest-starring roles on Law and Order. Piscopo also has been a guest on many other TV shows, including The Late Show with David Letterman, the Fox News Channel and other broadcasts. He serves each year as co-host of New York City’s Columbus Day Parade with Maria Bartiromo.

Piscopo devotes much of his energy to non-profit and charitable activities, particularly for causes in New Jersey. Piscopo was the keynote speaker at the Big Brothers Big Sisters National Conference in Chicago. In addition, Piscopo has received Community Service Awards from Boys and Girls Clubs in New Jersey and Broward County, Fla. and was recognized by Boy’s Town of Italy in Rome. Piscopo has five children: Joey, Alexandra, Michael, Olivia and Charley Rae.

David Sarnoff

Enterprise

Princeton — Camden, New Jersey (1891-1971) Born into poverty in a Jewish settlement near the Russian city of Minsk, Sarnoff was nine when his family immigrated to New York. Within days of his arrival, he got a job hawking Yiddish newspapers on the Lower East Side. By 13, he bought a newsstand for $200. He eventually became a telegrapher for Marconi Wireless.

Sarnoff was not an inventor, an engineer, or a scientist; he was a budding entrepreneur. Considered “the father of electronic communications,” Sarnoff formed the National Broadcasting Company and the Radio Corporation of America, which revolutionized radio and television broadcasting. As a corporate manager and executive he championed new technologies, especially for broadcast communications. He first posed the concept of broadcast radio in 1915, and introduced RCA’s electronic monochrome television system in 1939 and the world’s first electronic color television system in 1946.

Sarnoff firmly believed in the possibilities of social improvement through technological progress, and supported the development of RCA’s independent research laboratories. Along with Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the RCA Labs in Princeton were responsible for inventing or innovating nearly every device that enabled the birth of Silicon Valley, Asia’s dominance of the electronics industry, and the Digital Revolution, from video displays to the integrated circuit, from electron microscopy to CCD cameras. David Sarnoff and RCA can be regarded as basic ingredients of the Second Industrial Revolution in electronics and chemistry, a revolution that continues to play out around the world today.

NJHOF Trivia: As a telegrapher, Sarnoff was among the first telegraphers to find out about the sinking of the Titanic. He sent messages for 72 straight hours to chronicle the accident.

“Jersey Joe” Walcott

Sports

Merchantville, New Jersey (1914-1994) Born Arnold Cream in Merchantville, Walcott took the name of his boxing idol, Joe Walcott, the welterweight champion from Barbados. He turned pro in 1930 at the age of 16 and embarked on a slow, steady, rise to the top. He won the heavyweight title on his fifth try, at the age of 37. He held the record for oldest heavyweight champion until 45-year-old George Foreman won the crown in 1994. Early in his career, Walcott lost a pair of fights to “Tiger” Jack Fox and was knocked out by contender Abe Simon. But in 1945, Walcott beat top heavyweights such as Joe Baksi, Lee Q. Murray, Curtis Sheppard and Jimmy Bivins.

Walcott, considered an excellent boxer and slick defensive fighter, challenged Joe Louis for the title in December 1947 at Madison Square Garden. He twice knocked Louis to the canvas, but lost a 15-round split decision to the champion. Louis won again in 1948, knocking Walcott out in 11 rounds. When Louis retired, Walcott and Ezzard Charles met for the vacant heavyweight title in 1949, a bout that Charles won in a 15-round decision. Walcott beat future Hall of Famer Harold Johnson in 1950 and fought Charles twice more in 1951, losing the first but scoring a seventh-round knockout the second time to finally win the heavyweight title.

Walcott fought Charles for a fourth time, earning a decision in his first title defense. But he lost his second defense to Rocky Marciano. He retired after Marciano knocked him out in the first round of their 1953 rematch. Walcott remained active in boxing as a referee and later as the chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. Walcott later turned to politics, and was elected to the office of Sheriff of Camden County in 1971, serving for three years. He also served as the chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. 

Dionne Warwick

Entertainment

East Orange New Jersey (1940 – ) Born Marie Dionne Warrick in East Orange, the young woman who would become the star known as Dionne Warwick grew up as the daughter of a record promoter and a gospel group manager and performer.

As a teenager, Warwick started a group, the Gospelaires, with her sister, Dee Dee, and aunt Cissy Houston. During college, at Harrtt College of Music in Hartford, CT, Warwick performed backing vocals in New York City. During one session, she met a songwriter named Burt Bacharach, who hired her to record demos for songs he wrote with lyricist Hal David. That was the first step in a record-setting collaborative relationship with Bacharach that propelled her to Grammy-award-winning superstardom. She has had 56 singles land on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1964, Warwick had two Top 10 singles with the Bacharach/David compositions, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Walk On By, which was her first No.1 R&B hit. “Message to Michael” made the Top 10 in 1966, and her version of “I Say A Little Prayer” climbed as high as the No. 4 spot the following year. Warwick also found success with her contributions to movie soundtracks. The theme song for the 1967 film Alfie, starring Michael Caine, was a success for her, as was “Valley of the Dolls,” from the 1968 movie of the same name. In 1968, Warwick earned her first Grammy with “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.” That same year, Warwick became the first African-American woman to perform for Queen Elizabeth II.

Warwick reached the top of the pop charts for the first time in 1974 with “Then Came You,” which she recorded with the Spinners. In 1979, she made a triumphant return to the charts with the ballad “I’ll Never Love This Way Again.” She then became a fixture on television with the music program Solid Gold, which she hosted in the early 1980’s. Warwick also had several successful collaborative efforts. In 1982, she had hits with a pair of duets, “Friends In Love” with Johnny Mathis, and “Heart Breaker” with Barry Gibb. In 1985, Warwick teamed up with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight for one of her biggest hits, “That’s What Friends Are For,” a single written by Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. The song reached No. 1 and resulted in significant donations to AIDS research.

In 2012, Warwick celebrated her 50th year in music with the album Now. The recording features songs written by Bacharach and David. Warwick has two sons, David and Damon Elliot, from her marriage to actor and musician William David Elliot. She has worked with both of her sons on different projects over the years.

NJHOF Trivia: Warwick earned her professional name when her first single, “Don’t Make Me Over,” contained a typographical error, changing “Warrick” to “Warwick.”