New Jersey Hall of Fame
Who could quarrel with Meryl Streep,
beguiling chameleon, top of the heap,
or Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon,
a likeable guy, emotive, old too soon,
or Thomas Alva, over 1,000 patents,
more flops than any but lights galore gents,
or Yogi Berra, who said some hum-dingers
and claims other attributed zingers,
or Einstein and Springstein, who both
for science and music broke the mold
or Harriet Tubman who traveled at night,
felt the moss on trees to know
she was headed right
But how can we omit
even from the first round
Ben Shahn and Sarah Vaughn
from the temples of art and music
or Toshiko and Yass
who’ve potted and mimed the sublime
what about, say, Grover Cleveland
and Woodrow Wilson who rose to the presidency
or the late departed George Segal
who celebrated his Helen in work white and ethereal?
Update: On May 2, 2009, Walt Whitman was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in the second round.
McVay worked for Princeton University for 11 years, served as founding executive director of the Robert Sterling Clark and Geraldine R. Dodge foundations, and was 16th president of the Chautauqua Institution.
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