Waves and those who ride them, a look at surf history of New Jersey
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Dorothea Bongiovi, founder and program director of JBJ Soul Kitchen restaurants, is being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame as an “Unsung Hero.”
The 17th annual induction ceremony takes place Friday, Nov. 21, at The Rink at The Arena at American Dream in East Rutherford. Danny DeVito will return as host. The HOF announcement comes on the same day that Bongiovi’s husband, rocker Jon Bon Jovi, is being honored at the Count Basie Center for the Arts’ Walk of Fame inaugural induction ceremony. Jon Bon Jovi was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2009.
JBJ Soul Kitchen is a “pay-it-forward” community restaurant that serves in-need and paying customers to address issues of insecurity while connecting people to critical resources. There are restaurants in Red Bank, Toms River, Newark and Jersey City. There is also a pop-up at the Ocean County Library in Toms River, which opened in February.
Joining the 2025 class as Educator of the Year is Drury Thorp, known for “innovative, student-centered teaching that inspires curiosity, deep thinking and civic engagement,” a release states. “She creates meaningful, real-world learning experiences that empower students and strengthen communities.”
The Hon. Shirley Ann Jackson, president emerita of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is also joining the HOF in the Education, Research, Engineering and Science category. Jackson is the former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a theoretical physicist at AT&T Bell Labs, and recipient of the National Medal of Science.
In June, 17 people from the worlds of music, hospitality, public service, sports, and visual and performing arts were chosen as New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees.
Among them: CNN’s Dana Bash; David Bryan, keyboardist for rock band Bon Jovi and Tony Award-winning lyricist and composer; the Jonas Brothers; Martin Brodeur, former ice hockey goaltender and current team executive for the New Jersey Devils; and Sheila Y. Oliver, New Jersey’s second lieutenant governor and the first woman of color elected to statewide office in the state’s history, who is being honored posthumously.
According to the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the organization “honors the Garden State’s most distinguished citizens for their lasting contributions to society.”
Honorees must be or have been a New Jersey resident or have worked in New Jersey for a minimum of five years.
NJHOF will celebrate its newest class of Jersey legends steps from its permanent home at American Dream. Limited tickets are available at NJHallofFame.org.
Sarah Griesemer contributed to this story.