Springsteen elected N.J. Hall of Fame

[MDCN2U]

The Boss, Sinatra among N.J. Hall of Fame's first inductees By DANIELA FLORES, Associated Press Writer
55 minutes ago



TRENTON, N.J. - Pop quiz: What comes to mind when you think about Yogi Berra, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Toni Morrison? Brilliant minds, inspiring souls, trailblazers — all are likely responses.

And ... New Jersey?

Yep. They all have strong ties to the oft-maligned Garden State, and they're among the first 15 people to be inducted Sunday into New Jersey's new Hall of Fame.

"I think anything you get inducted to you feel good about," said 82-year-old Berra, the famous New York Yankee catcher who lives in Montclair in northern New Jersey. "Heck to get inducted with all them guys, that's pretty good."

Berra, who's lived in New Jersey for 52 years, is in good company.

In addition to Edison, Einstein and Morrison, the inaugural class includes Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Vince Lombardi.

"There's no doubt this will be a historic event for the state," said Don Jay Smith, the hall's executive director. "New Jersey is often the butt of jokes, nationally, and yet when people see who has claimed New Jersey as their home, they will be very impressed."

Edison's great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Sloane Eggemann, of White House Station in northwest New Jersey, said the famous inventor would be thrilled by the honor, and she hopes children are inspired by all of the hall's inductees.

"It's really great to recognize all the accomplishments," she said.

The Hall of Fame exists only as a virtual entity now, but officials are raising money to build a permanent museum. The first class was chosen through an online vote after 25 finalists were announced in 2006.

All inductees must have lived in the state for at least five years, though organizers made an exception to that rule for Underground Railroad pioneer Harriet Tubman.

Smith said he expects most of the living inductees to attend Sunday's induction ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

Two inductees, Streep and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, have asked that the presentation of their awards be held until they can receive them in person.

"Meryl Streep was honored to be among the first class to be inducted to the New Jersey Hall of Fame," her representative, Michelle Benson, said in a statement. "Because of the significance of the Hall of Fame, she has asked that the presentation of her award be postponed until she can accept in person."

John Lombardi said his grandfather, a legendary coach who led the Green Bay Packers to seven NFL championships, would get a kick out of his induction into the state's hall of fame.

"I kind of look at the list of the 'who's who' who are getting inducted and I kind of laugh because I'm like, Edison, Einstein, then my grandfather," he said. "I think he'd be laughing out loud. He had a healthy ego but I don't think he ever thought he was up there with those guys."

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[stang]

Bruce is at the event tonight in Newark. So is Yogi Berra and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

[jukebox graduate]

from btx; Bruce gave the intro speech for Frank Sinatra.

Danny DeVito gave the intro speech for Bruce. Talked about how his music has influenced all of us, and about him being inspirational.

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080505/capt.ef270058b20441118be65ca0be7d5c8e.nj_hall_of_fame_spring steen_njcs104.jpg?x=400&y=264&sig=3en7aKIcKlpFiqMMwpui7Q--
Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen observe from a balcony during the inaugural induction ceremony of the New Jersey Hall of Fame at the NJPAC in Newark, N.J., Sunday, May 4, 2008.

(AP Photo/Cie Stroud)

[JerseyGirl2]

the complete list:

A look at the New Jersey Hall of Fame's first 15 inductees:


• Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, who was born and raised in Montclair, was the second man to walk on the moon.

• Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, created the state's first free public school in Bordentown.

• Yogi Berra, who has lived in Montclair for more than 50 years, is a Hall of Fame New York Yankee catcher.

• Bill Bradley, famed Princeton University basketball player, is a former New York Knicks star and U.S. senator from 1979 to 1997.

• Thomas Edison, who had a laboratory in Menlo Park, is considered the most prolific inventor.

• Albert Einstein, who lived in Princeton for 22 years, was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics and regarded as among the most important scientists.

• Malcolm Forbes, of Far Hills, is a Princeton graduate and publisher of Forbes Magazine and a philanthropist.

• Robert Wood Johnson II was the son of the founder of health care giant Johnson & Johnson. He left most of his $400 million estate to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Vince Lombardi, who taught and coached at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, coached the Green Bay Packers to seven NFL championships.

• Toni Morrison, who taught at Princeton University 17 years, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Pulitzer Prize.

• Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, raised in Lawrenceville, was commander of U.S. Forces in Operation Desert Shield.

• Frank Sinatra, of Hoboken, is a legendary crooner who is one of the most popular male entertainers of all time.

• Bruce Springsteen, of Freehold, is a rock icon who rose to fame playing in clubs in Asbury Park. He is in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

• Meryl Streep, born in Summit and raised in Bernardsville, has the most Academy Award nominations.

• Harriet Tubman, who used Cape May as a base, was involved in the Underground Railroad.

[Thundercrack]

• Vince Lombardi, who taught and coached at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, coached the Green Bay Packers to seven NFL championships.

Vince is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown, NJ

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=637

[estreet77]

Wow, New Jersey takes alot of crap But that is One Impressive List of Inductees!
I'm from nyc and now live in the sw but i salute my Hudson River neighbors!

[estreet77]

Look how proud Patti looks and how speechless and honored Bruce looks.
Could either Bruce or Patti have imagined the life they lead 30 years ago!
They are as American Dream as it gets!

[Kan-Man]

Backstreets has You Tube links to Bruce's induction as well as Bruce inducting Sinatra. The video must have been shot from the balcony, but you can hear everything clearly.

[JerseyGirl2]

BRUCE'S SPEECH AT THE NEW JERSEY HALL OF FAME

Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame on May 4. Here's a transcript of his speech:

When I first got the letter I was to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame I was a little suspicious. New Jersey Hall of Fame? Does New York have a hall of fame? Does Connecticut have a hall of fame? I mean, maybe they don't think they need one.

But then I ran through the list of names: Albert Einstein, Bruce Springsteen... my mother's going to like that. She's here tonight. It's her birthday and it's the only time she's going to hear those two names mentioned in the same sentence, so I'm going to enjoy it.

When I was recording my first album, the record company spent a lot of money taking pictures of me in New York City. But...something didn't feel quite right. So I was walking down the boardwalk one day, stopped at a souvenir stand and bought a postcard that said "Greetings from Asbury Park." I remember thinking, "yeah, that's me."

With the exception of a few half years in California, my family and I have raised our kids here. We have a big Italian-Irish family. I found my own Jersey girl right here in Asbury Park. I've always found it deeply resonant holding the hands of my kids on the same streets where my mom held my hand, swimming in the same ocean and taking them to visit the same beaches I did as a child. It was also a place that really protected me. It's been very nurturing. I could take my kids down to Freehold, throw them up on my shoulders and walk along the street with thousands of other people on Kruise Night with everybody just going, "hey Bruce...." That was something that meant a lot to me, the ability to just go about my life. I really appreciated that.

You get a little older and when one of those crisp fall days come along in September and October, my friends and I slip into the cool water of the Atlantic Ocean. We take note that there are a few less of us as each year passes. But the thing about being in one place your whole life is that they're all still around you in the water. I look towards the shore and I see my two sons and my daughter pushing their way through the waves. And on the beach there's a whole batch of new little kids running away from the crashing surf like time itself.

That's what New Jersey is for me. It's a repository of my time on earth. My memory, the music I've made, my friendships, my life... it's all buried here in a box somewhere in the sand down along the Central Jersey coast. I can't imagine having it any other way.

So let me finish with a Garden State benediction. Rise up my fellow New Jerseyans, for we are all members of a confused but noble race. We, of the state that will never get any respect. We, who bear the coolness of the forever uncool. The chip on our shoulders of those with forever something to prove. And even with this wonderful Hall of Fame, we know that there's another bad Jersey joke coming just around the corner.

But fear not. This is not our curse. It is our blessing. For this is what imbues us with our fighting spirit. That we may salute the world forever with the Jersey state bird, and that the fumes from our great northern industrial area to the ocean breezes of Cape May fill us with the raw hunger, the naked ambition and the desire not just to do our best, but to stick it in your face. Theory of relativity anybody? How about some electric light with your day? Or maybe a spin to the moon and back? And that is why our fellow Americans in the other 49 states know, when the announcer says "and now in this corner, from New Jersey...." they better keep their hands up and their heads down, because when that bell rings, we're coming out swinging.

God Bless the Garden State.