Essex County Surrogate Judge Ted Stephens, fourth from right, stands with publicist Darryl Jeffries, second from left, and the members of the new East Orange Hall of Fame Committee on Friday, Oct. 20, during the kickoff ceremony at Cicely Tyson School of the Performing and Fine Arts.
EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange Hall of Fame will host its inaugural induction ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. at the Cicely Tyson School of the Performing and Fine Arts on Winans Street.
The Hall of Fame will induct a wide range of locals in the following categories: arts and entertainment; athletics; law and government; education; science and industry; and civic affairs and health care.
The first class of the new institution will include: actor John Amos, rap group Naughty By Nature, singers Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick; rapper Dana “Queen Latifah” Owens, Dr. Zain Abdullah, Kathy Baker, Linda Baker, Toya Beasley, Paulette Bigelow, Clyde Bradshaw, Mike Brown, Brigadier Gen. Richard Cardillo, Judge Robert Carter, Michael Dabney, Robert Davenport, Gale Fitzgerald, Mayor William S. Hart, Fred Hill, John Hooper, Gary Garland Houston, David “Chip” Humphrey, Greg James, Baruti Kafele, Dr. James Oliver, Scott Patterson, Jerome Pierce, Col. Clyde Richards, Glenn F. Scotland, Fidelia Sturdivant, Norman Tate, Al Volpe, Janice Walker, Darryl White and the Rev. Russell White.
“The number of individuals that could and should be included in this Hall of Fame numbers in the hundreds. But what kind of show could you have with that many people?” asked Essex County advocate and East Orange native Judge Ted Stephens during the new East Orange Hall of Fame press conference at Cicely Tyson School on Friday, Oct. 20. “There are 35 worthy individuals who are desirous and worthy to be in the first Hall of Fame class. There are hundreds, if not more than that, of individuals who are Hall of Fame-worthy individuals.”
The first class of honorees will include people from all walks of life and each of the city’s old high schools, East Orange High School and Clifford J. Scott High School, as well as the newer Campus High School.
“As far as the Hall of Fame, it’s needed. We have some tremendous talent that has graced the world stage,” said Clifford J. Scott High School alumnus Robert McGrady, who serves as president of the combined East Orange High School and Clifford J. Scott High School Alumni Association, on Saturday, Oct. 21. “For the record: Scott was the only game in East Orange during the 1980s, through the ‘90s. About four state championships, a few Essex County tourney champs. For instance, both male and female basketball teams won state championships in 1982.
Dennis Perkins, a member of the new East Orange Hall of Fame Selection Committee, describes himself as a longtime resident of East Orange and a member of the East Orange High School Class of 1972. He believes the time is right to really embrace and celebrate the city’s championship pedigree and legacy and answer the “burning” question: Is there something in the East Orange water that produces the kind of greatness that will be on display onstage at Cicely Tyson School on Saturday, Nov. 25?
“I grew up in East Orange, really being a part of athletics, and I’m from the Class of ‘72. We were state champions in basketball and we had a lot of individuals preceding us to show us the way in not accepting losing, going for the best and winning,” said Perkins on Friday, Oct. 20. “I’m a Panther now, Panther forever. We’re Panthers. Now we have Jaguars, but that’s the Scottie and the Panther combined. It still creates something that we’re building on and continuing with the legacy at East Orange.”
Akeem Cunningham, an East Orange native and Jaguar, is the founder of the Akeem Cares Foundation, a nonprofit organization that sponsors annual community cookouts for single mothers. He is also a member of the Young Professionals of East Orange group, and is a city firefighter. He agreed that the time has come for an East Orange Hall of Fame.
“I feel like the East Orange Hall of Fame is a wonderful thing,” said Cunningham on Friday, Oct. 20. “So many great people have started an amazing legacy in our city. I think those legends deserve to smell the roses, while they are still here.”
Cunningham went on to say, “I also feel like it’s our job in this next generation to keep this legacy going forward.”
“Our next Mayor-elect Ted Green is homegrown and is molding future leaders as we speak,” Cunningham added. “Also, our Campus High School Class in 2008 won the first football state championship, with young guys like Jabrill Peppers and Rasul Douglas watching us, and they were drafted in the same year, 2017, from East Orange. Our city’s future is brighter than it has ever been.”
For more information about the new East Orange Hall of Fame and the inaugural induction on Saturday, Nov. 25, call 973-302-8319, email [email protected] or visit www.eohof.org. Tickets and reservations to the event can be found at Eventbrite.com.
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