Chelsea Handler, Max Weinberg Highlight 2022 NJ Hall Of Fame Inductees

NEW JERSEY — From the stage to the gridiron to the State House, people in the Garden State have made their mark. Several notables around the state will join the New Jersey Hall of Fame, which announced its 14th class of inductees Tuesday.

Inductees include comedian Chelsea Handler, former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski and the E Street Band's Max Weinberg. Since 2008, more than 180 prominent New Jerseyans have made the Hall of Fame.

The New Jersey Hall of Fame's Mobile Museum attracts thousands of visitors. The 53-foot double-expandable trailer is transformed on location to 850 square feet of exhibition space. But the Hall of Fame will gain a permanent home, with plans to open at American Dream in fall 2023.

"New Jersey is never at a loss for heroes and role models for coming generations," said Jon F. Hanson, chair of the Hall of Fame. "We are honored to celebrate the lives and contributions of these notable New Jersey luminaries throughout the state, at our terminals and Parkway service areas, and next year at our Entertainment and Learning Center at American Dream."

Here are this year's inductees:

Sports

Ron Jaworski, Voorhees

Jaworski enjoyed a long NFL career from 1973-89, including a decade as the Eagles quarterback. "Jaws" later became an NFL analyst for ESPN, which included color commentary on Monday Night Football broadcasts.

The former signal-caller lives in Voorhees and is now CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood. He manages golf courses in South Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Heather O’Reilly, East Brunswick

It's rare that an athlete makes a Hall of Fame before retiring from the playing field. But O'Reilly will do just that, with the longtime soccer star announcing July 28 that she's coming out of retirement.

The East Brunswick native won three Olympic gold medals and a FIFA Women's World Cup with the United States. Upon her initial retirement in 2016, O'Reilly played in 231 matches on the international level — tied for 10th all-time. She's currently a Fox Sports analyst but will play for Shelbourne in Ireland.

Performing Arts

Chelsea Handler, Livingston

She's hosted late-night talk show Chelsea Lately, documentary series Chelsea Does and talk show Chelsea on Netflix. Soon, the comedian's name will also appear in the state's Hall of Fame.

Time also named the Livingston native as one of its 100 most influential people in 2012.

Max Weinberg, Newark

Weinberg is best known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as bandleader on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He's also the father of Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg.

The drummer grew up in South Orange and Maplewood. He attended college to become a lawyer but instead got his big break in music in 1974, when he won an audition to become Springsteen's drummer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014.

Enterprise

Ralph Izzo, Cranbury

Izzo is a businessman and former nuclear physicist. He's currently CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group, a Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Newark.

Dr. Roy Vagelos, Westfield

The physician became CEO of pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. before serving as board chair for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Vagelos has also authored more than 100 scientific papers.

The Unanue Family, Alpine, Ridgefield Park

Prudencio Unanue Ortiz migrated from Spain in the 20th century and in 1918 established Goya Foods — the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States. After marrying Carolina Casal de Valdés in 1921, they moved to New Jersey.

Public Service

Gov. Richard J. Hughes, Florence Township (posthumous honor)

Hughes served as governor of New Jersey from 1962-70 before become chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973-79. He was the first Roman Catholic governor in state history.

Dorothea Dix, Trenton (posthumous honor)

Dix served as a superintendent of Army nurses and advocated for treating people with mental illnesses in the 19th century. Through lobbying the State Legislature and Congress, she was instrumental in creating the first generation of American mental asylums.

Arts and Letters

Margaret Bourke-White, Bound Brook (posthumous honor)

Bourke-White was the first American woman war photojournalist. She was also the first foreign member of the profession to take pictures of Soviet industry under the Soviet Union's five-year plan and had one of her photographs — on the construction of the Fort Peck Dam in Montana — on the cover of Life Magazine's first issue.

Walter Dean Myers, Jersey City (posthumous honor)

Myers wrote more than 100 books, including picture books and nonfiction. He won the Coretta Scott King Award for African-American literature five times and was the third National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, serving in 2012 and 2013.

His 1988 novel "Fallen Angels" is listed 16th in the American Library Association's 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000 because of its profanity and realistic depiction of the Vietnam War.

Unsung Heroes

NJ Medal of Honor recipients

Several New Jerseyans have received the nation's most prestigious military decoration. Here's a list of New Jerseyans who have earned the accolade, according to the Medal of Honor Historical Society of the United States.