Nutley Hall of Fame Will Induct 12 New Members
• Ceremonies Are Scheduled Sunday Afternoon, Nov. 8
Aug 22, 2009 – The fourth bi-annual Nutley Hall of Fame induction will honor 12 persons in ceremonies scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Nov 8. The selections include both well-know Nutley personalities, like state legislators Carmen Orechio and John Kelly, as lesser-known celebrities, like Dr. Lynne Viola, a Princeton University professor who has specialized and written scholarly books detailing the political and social history of Russia's revolution under Stalin.
The 12 inductees include:
• Keith Thomas Banks, chairman of Global Wealth and Investment Management and daily oversees assets exceeding $709 billion;
• Julian "Bud" Blake, author of the daily comic strip "Tiger" published world-wide;
• Ben Hawkins, super-star with the Philadelphia Eagles;
• Victor Hopkins, a Nutley resident who won a gold medal in the 1926 Olympics held in Paris;
• William J. Jernick, Grand Exalted Ruler of the Elks, who spear-headed the post-war development throughout the nation for the care of hospitalized veterans and crippled children;
• Rita Lenihan, a 1943 Nutley High graduate who rose through the Navy ranks to become the Commander of the United States Navy's Women Corps (Waves);
• John V. Kelly, the banker who went on to serve 18 years as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in Trenton;
• Carmen A. Orechio, former President of the N.J. Senate and Acting Governor, who today is chairman of the N.J. Water Supply Commission, and trustee with several state-wide medical foundations;
• Rev. Lawrence C. Roberts, inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame in the late 1950's, he went on to head the world's largest Gospel Music recording company.
• Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli, a former pastor at Nutley's Holy Family Church, who retired this year as Bishop of the See of Wilmington and overseeing 58 parishes,18 missions and 37 schools in Delaware and Maryland.;
• Richard Sarles, a student leader at Nutley High who for years worked with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and who for the past two years has overseen the third largest public transportation agency in the nation . He is the executive director of NJ Transit, and
• Lynn Viola, a 1973 Nutley High School graduate, professor at Princeton University, and author of several books and studies focused on the effects of Stalinist terror on Russia's political and social history.
The November 8 induction ceremonies will open with a champagne welcoming toast at 2 p.m. with live music featuring pianist Evan Megaro. Following the formal program starting shortly thereafter, Nutley's "Cuisine by Christine" will provide a selection of foods for the congratulatory reception designed as an opportunity for guests to meet individually with the newly inducted Hall of Fame members The event will utilize all three floors of the Nutley Public Library on Booth Drive.
Patrick Ritacco, who chairs the Hall of Fame's administrative committee, urges those interested in attending to reserve tickets as soon as possible. It's likely, he said, that the event will be a sell-out with no tickets available on the day the induction ceremonies.
Readers of this article may volunteer additional information, comments and factual corrections to news@njhometown.com. Information provided will also be forwarded to The Nutley Sun and The Nutley Journal. Phil White who oversees this website is a member of the Hall of Fame's administrative committee.
Additional background information, in alphabetical order, follows on each of the 12 inductees:
KEITH THOMAS BANKS
With a name like Banks and, as his 1973 Nutley High School yearbook states, "his desire to be successful," Keith Thomas Banks quickly chose economics as his major at Rutgers University where he was graduated magna cum laude. His next stop was Columbia University where he earned a master's degree in finance.
For the next 30 years, he advanced quickly as an innovator in managing world-wide investments and in 2004 joined the Bank of America where today he is the president, chief executive officer, chief investment officer and chairman of Global Wealth and Investment Management overseeing assets totaling more than $709 billion.
He also is responsible for the investment division which delivers financial solutions, trust, integrated banking and lending services to wealthy and "ultra wealthy" clients around the world. Still a resident of Nutley, he and his wife, Debra, own a home on Sattherwaite Avenue.
JULIAN "BUD" BLAKE
Born Julian W. Blake on Feb. 13, 1918, young "Bud" grew up in a home on
Chestnut Street . He went to grammar school and high school in Nutley and also attended classes at various art schools, among them the National Academy of Design. He also served a three-year stint with the infantry during World War II.
Early on in life, while still a resident of Nutley, Blake was the art director for the Judger Agency in New York City. He eventually became so fed up with his two-hour daily commute to New York that he decided to pick up and move to Maine to pursue what then was only a hobby.
It was in Maine that he began to draw "Tiger," a daily comic strip that soon was published by newspapers spanning the world. The popularity of Bud Blake's fictional characters were all inspired, he once said, from his school mates and the community at large in Nutley.
The main character, Hugo, for example, was based on a Nutley boy who used to regularly beat him up as a youngster. The comic strip's dog, Stripe, was based on his boyhood pet, Jenny.
"Tiger" was named best humor strip of the year in 1970, 1978 and 2000 by the National Cartoonist Society. And even after Blake's death in 2005, "Tiger" still appears in more than 100 newspapers in 11 countries. .
Blake is survived by a son and daughter, Jay and Marianna.
BENJAMIN HAWKINS
Benjamin Hawkins, better know as Ben Hawkins, or better yet "The Hawk," was a super-star with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League for eight years, running from 1966 through 1973.
A standout on the Raider football team at Nutley High School, Hawkins went on to study and play football at Arizona State University. He was the first Sun Devil to be named to a major all-American team selected by Time Magazine. Hawkins played wide receive and defensive end at Arizona State from 1963-1965.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1966 and began a stellar eight-year career. The Hawk's record included 267 receptions, 4,764 yards in rushing and 32 touchdown
VICTOR HOPKINS
Victor Hopkins, a champion bicycle racer who frequently competed at the Nutley velodrome, qualified for the World Olympics in 1924, went to Paris representing the United States, and captured the first place championship in the 100-kilometer bicycle event.
Two years later, at the age of 21, he won the motor-paced championship of America at the New York City Velodrome before a crowd of 10,000. The New York Times reports that the first place finish came after a 50-mile run-off to decide the championship.
"When the race was over," the N.Y. Times article continues, "the band struck up the Star-Spangled Banner and Hopkins circled the track while the crowd cheered him madly."
In 1934, he took part in the Tour of France, a 3,340-mile competition considered the most grueling in the world. He retired in the 1930's but continued to maintain a collection of bicycles and motorcycles at his Nutley home.
Born in Grand Rapids, Iowa, Hopkins was a Nutley resident for more than 40 years. He died in December 1969 at the age of 64.
WILLIAM J. JERNICK
William J. Jernick, born 1902 in Nutley, was a town Commissioner who served 24 years as the town's director of Revenue and Finance including eight years as Mayor. Mr. Jernick began his civic and community career in the early 1930's when he joined the Nutley Elks Lodge. He would go on to serve that organization not only as head of the local lodge and as New Jersey's state-wide president in 1939-40, but as the "Grand Exalted Ruler" of the then 1.5 million world-wide members of the Elks.
Mr. Jernick's leadership on the state, national and international level continued for nearly 18 years and came during a post-war period highlighted by the development and strengthening of Elks Lodges throughout the nation in assisting the thousands of disabled veterans confined to hospitals throughout America.
"As Elkdom Sows, America Reaps," the then new Grand Exalted Ruler said at his installation in 1954. For the next eight years, he worked with his executive staff in developing programs that oversaw the care and handles issues dealing with America's hospitalized veterans. At the same time, he launched new initiatives to assist crippled veterans – an effort so intense and successful that he was summoned to meetings at the White House where he and President Dwight Eisenhower worked on initiatives to strengthen veterans programs with a more permanent funding source.
Mr. Jernick's work soon expanded to include assistance to crippled children and those with disabilities as Elks Lodges nation-wide intensified fund drives, opened camps for handicapped youngsters like "Camp Merryheart" in nearby Passaic County. Before Mr. Jernick stepped down from the National Grand Lodge, he also was able to celebrate the success made in ensuring that lodges in all sections of the nation had eliminated all traces of discrimination. (The Lodge in Nutley this year has its first woman Exalted Ruler in history.)
Although Mr. Jernick stepped down from his formal national leadership with the Elks in 1958, he continued to hold a directorship with the National and International Elks until his death in 1978.
JOHN V.KELLY
John V. Kelly, born July 11, 1926 in Jersey City and a World War II Army veteran serving in The Philippine Campaign with the Wars Crime Commissions, was called to Nutley to serve as controller of the Nutley Savings and Loan Association. A graduate of St. Peter's College with a bachelor's of science degree with honors in finance, Mr. Kelly in 1971 was elected president of Nutley Savings and Loan.
His success in the world of finance was quickly recognized when Mr. Kelly was first elected to the N.J. State Legislature as an Assemblyman in 1981. He immediately was named a member of the Assembly Insurance and Banking Committee and authored the very first Jobs Training Act in New Jersey. The law provided training for the state's disadvantaged and handicapped workers.
The freshman Assembly leader, during his second year in Trenton sponsored legislation establishing funds to assist families with children suffering from major illnesses and disabilities.
His early accomplishments at the State House were rewarded by voters back home who reelected John Kelly several times for a total of 18 years in Trenton. His major accomplishments included the expansion of the National Burn Victims Foundation Program offering greater protection in the area of child abuse, prohibiting discrimination by clubs in New Jersey and expanding the helmet law affecting bicyle riders under the age of 18.
He served on the New Jersey Crime Prevention Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee was able to obtain funding for programs vital to the disabled and autistic children.
He also coordinated a massive campaign (the New Jersey Cares Project) that sent thousands of packages to American military troops serving in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Mr. Kelly was the chairman of the Assembly Housing Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee from 1986 to 1999. He also served on the Assembly Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
During his 18 years in Trenton, John Kelly authored 143 bills that were signed into law – many dealing with public safety and issues affecting children's health and welfare.
John Kelly and Elizabeth Mele were married 1954 and are the parents of Regina, Joseph, John and Renee.
CAPTAIN RITA LENIHAN
Navy Captain Rita Lenihan, a graduate of Nutley High School, in 1943, joined the WAVES, the Navy's component for women serving in the service. A year later she became the first woman admitted for graduate study at Georgetown University and four years later was named to the joint planning staff of the Naval Commander-in-Chief based in London, England.
She continued to advance through the Navy ranks with her appointment in 1956 as officer-in-charge of the WAVES based in Newport, R.I.
In 1966, she was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel and director of the WAVES. She served as director for five years before joining the regents at Georgetown where she served as chairwoman from 1975 to 1978.
Capt. Lenihan, who held master's degrees from Georgetown and George Washington University, later served as a trustee at the College of St. Elizabeth where she received an honorary degree in 1967.
Capt. Lenihan was the sister of Edward Lenihan who served many years as the president of the Nutley Board of Education. Capt. Lenihan died in November 1969. She was also survived by a sister, Priscilla Lawler of Woodbridge, Conn.
CARMEN A. ORECHIO
Although best known in Nutley for his many civic contribution, including 28 years as a member of the Township Board of Commissioners, Carmen A. Orechio's induction into the Nutley Hall of Fame comes in recognition of his service to New Jersey from his positions at the State House in Trenton where he served as a State Senator, as the Senate President, and as Acting Governor of the State of New Jersey.
First elected to the New Jersey State Senate in 1973, he brought the hometown informality he had acquired as a Commissioner and Mayor in Nutley to the State Capitol. An avid baseball fan and player, he is often remembered by colleagues today in the way he eased tensions between Republican and Democrat lawmakers by organizing informal softball games that followed many stressed sessions under the roof of the State Capitol.
During his years in Trenton, Senator Orechio chaired the Law Revision and Legislative Services Commission and screened all gubernatorial appointments to the Judiciary and Executive Branches. He also served on the Governing Board of the State Law Enforcement Planning Agency and became Trenton's strongest advocate for legislation in the areas of health, child care, senior citizens and law enforcement.
Aside from serving as President of the New Jersey Senate, Orechio continued to represent the 30th Legislative District in Essex County.
Born in Nutley in 1926 and a lifelong Nutley resident, Orechio was graduated at Nutley High School and later at Rutgers University where he earned a degree in business administration. During World War II, he served in the Army overseas with the European Occupational Forces.
Orechio today continues his public service as the Chairman of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission – not only the state's largest distributor of drinking water, but also the agency which continues to lead in the development of higher water quality standards and greater homeland security measures. Orechio also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Clara Maass Hospital Foundation and the Garden State Cancer Center.
THE REV. LAWRENCE C. ROBERTS
Inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the late 1950's, the Rev. Dr. Lawrence C. Roberts accepted the position as pastor of Nutley's First Baptist Church in 1959. Soon thereafter, his family moved into their new home on San Antonio Avenue and Rev. Roberts quickly became an active participant in the town's community life.
The congregation in his new church, in just a short time, soon grew from 15 to 1,600 members, primarily due to the preacher's love of music. Long before he even considered the ministry, as a high school student he was majoring in music at Newark's School of Fine and Industrial Arts. He soon became the junior choir organist at Newark's Zion Hill Baptist Church.
While still in high school, he and two friends, Connie Francis and Andy Ray, formed a singing trio.
Roberts also sang with a gospel group led by Dionne Warwick's mother.
"Nutley was one of the towns where we were the most popular," Roberts recalled years later. He believes his popularity is why he eventually was invited to be the new pastor at the First Baptist Church.
He also had begun an association with Savoy Records based in Newark. And as time passed, the successful Angelic Choir of Nutley began recording gospel music that became very popular and led to a series of widely attended concerts in New York City and the surrounding area.
His Nutley choir once included Doris Duke, the tobacco heiress, as a member. Names like Dionne Warwick and Mahalia Jackson also sang at the First Baptist Church. Often there would be crowds of onlookers lining Harrison Street following the Sunday services.
Rev. Roberts later became an executive with Savor Records which led to the firm's becoming the world's largest Gospel Music recording company. His "live in church" recordings were the first ever to be marketed world-wide. As a prolific song writer, he composed more than 100 songs that were published and recorded. Among the most popular were "I had A Talk with God Last Night," "He's Always Doing Something Good for Me" and "I stood on the Banks of Jordan."
Rev. Roberts retired in 1995. He died in July 2008 at his home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and is survived by his wife, a renowned singer in her own right, and three children, a son, Derrick, and two daughters, Vanessa Walker and Renee Whitney.
BISHOP MICHAEL A. SALTARELLI
Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli, born in Jersey City and a graduate of Seton Hal University and the Immaculate Conception Seminar in Darlington, was ordained a Catholic priest in May 1960, and began his ministry as an associate pastor at Holy Family Church in Nutley. A popular priest, he served and resided in Nutley from June 1960 until August 1977 when he became the pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Bayonne.
He was elevated to auxiliary bishop of Newark in 1990 and in 1992 became the Rector of the famed Sacred Hearth Cathedral in Newark and served as the state-wide chaplain of the New Jersey Knights of Columbus.
In November 1995, he was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the new Bishop Saltarelli and was assigned as the administrator of the See of Wilmington which comprises 58 parishes, 18 missions and 37 schools in the two states of Delaware and Maryland. It was there that he undertook a successful three-year capital campaign, building and renovating churches, schools and other facilities throughout the diocese.
On January 17 of this year, Bishop Saltarelli celebrated his 75th birthday, reaching mandatory retirement according to Roman Catholic Church Rules.
RICHARD SARLES
Richard Sarles once played in the Raider Band and was the associate editor of Nutley High's 1963 yearbook. Still a resident of Nutley, Mr. Sarles was appointed two years ago as the executive director of NJ Transit, the third largest transit agency in the nation.
Previously he had served NJ Transit as its assistant executive director for capital projects. His responsibilities today include overseeing the agency's 10,000 employees and operating budgets annually totaling more than $2 billion.
A professional engineer, Mr. Sarles holds a master's degree in business administration from Rutgers University and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the Cooper Union. His interest in public transportation began while growing up in Nutley in the 1950's. His family did not own a car which meant they used the bus exclusively – whether it was to a movie theatre or a department store in Newark. Even today, he routinely uses NJTransit trains to his work in Trenton and New York City.
Prior to joining NJ Transit, Sarles served more than 20 years with the Port of New York and New Jersey, overseeing construction, project management and planning. He also served as vice president of Amtrak from 1996 to 2002 when he led the North-East Corridor High Speed Rail program upgrading service between Washington and Boston and enabling Amtrak trains to travel at speeds up to 150 miles per hour.
His earlier projects at NJ Transit included designing and the operation of the River Line, a light trail service along the New Jersey side of the Delaware River between Trenton and Camden, and the extension of the Newark and Hudson County light rail lines.
The father of three children, Mr. Sarles also has four grandchildren, all of whom reside in Nutley.
DR. LYNNE VIOLA
Dr. Lynne Viola, a Princeton University professor, and also a 1973 Nutley High
School graduate, is a specialist in 20th century Russian history. She has written four major books including "The Unknown Guilag – The Lost World of Stalin's Social Settlements," a 352-page study published by the Oxford University Press that reviewers say will likely become the scholarly standard in detailing one of the 20th century's most horrific crimes.
Her three earlier books all have dealt with the nature of the Soviet State under Stalin, especially its effects on peasants and women. One book deals extensively with how the poor in Russia for years rebelled against Stalin while the communist state evolved. Her writings detail in sharp focus the effects of Stalinist terror on the country's political and social history.
Dr. Viola's mother, Grace, who resides in Nutley, notes that her daughter speaks Russian fluently and recent returned from Moscow where she participated in a series of scholarly panel discussions dealing with 20th century history.
A note of history from Dr. Viola's entry in her 1973 Nutley High School yearbook states simply: "Tchaikovsky: peace of mind; George Orwell, paranoia; People: hope, despair…
(This story has been modified since it was first published. This is the fourth induction ceremony, not the third as previously reported.)
