

Steve Kalafer To Be Inducted Into New Jersey Hall of FameBridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots are proud to announce that team Chairman Emeritus Steve Kalafer has been selected as an inductee in the 2019-2020 New Jersey Hall of Fame Class. “This is a tremendous honor that I share with my beautiful wife of 49 years Suzanne, two wonderful sons Jonathan and Josh and their wives Kori and Rachel, and my five amazing grandsons,” said Kalafer. “Through their love, and all the people I have had the privilege to work with and get to know over the years, I already felt like a Hall of Famer. Having lived in New Jersey my entire life, to be inducted with such a prestigious class that represents my home state so well, is something that will always make me proud.” Kalafer will be inducted in the Enterprise category alongside The Borg Family (former owners and publishers of The Record), Linda Bowden (NJ regional president at PNC Bank and NJ Chamber of Commerce board chair), Fairleigh Dickinson (Co-Founder of Fortune 500 company Becton Dickinson, benefactor of Fairleigh Dickinson University), and Joseph Simunovich (Former Hudson County freeholder director and chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority). Past inductees of the Enterprise category include Robert Wood Johnson (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson), Leon Hess (founder of Hess Corporation, owner of the New York Jets), J. Seward Johnson (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson), Malcolm and Steve Forbes (Forbes Media), and Alfred Koeppe (President and COO of Bell Atlantic and PSE&G). The 2019-2020 Hall of Fame class also includes New York Giants two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback Eli Manning, legendary Rutgers women’s basketball coach C.Vivian Stringer, former Rutgers athletic director Bob Mulcahy, award-winning performers Ed Harris, Anne Hathaway and Cissy Houston to name a few. The 12th annual induction ceremony will be a one-hour virtual pre-recorded event on Sunday, October 18, 2020, and will be broadcast on several television, radio and prominent social media platforms throughout New Jersey. “These Garden State heroes perfectly represent what makes our state great,” said Jon F. Hanson, Chairman of the NJHOF, in a statement. “It’s our privilege to honor these inductees for their outstanding contributions to our state.”
Born in Essex County, and active in businesses throughout the state, Kalafer is the Chairman of the Flemington Car and Truck Country Family of Brands with showrooms and service centers in eight locations and 17 franchises. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the Somerset Health Care Foundation and serves on the Board Of Directors of RWJBarnabas Health. Kalafer is an Associate Trustee of the board of New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance, a Co-Chair of the Chairman’s Council of The Actors Fund of America, and recently retired as a trustee of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation. Some notable New Jersey Hall of Famers range from the greatest minds in history like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison to musicians Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen, inducted alongside sports heroes that include Yogi Berra and Shaquille O’Neal. “This confirms something that I think many of us have already known for a very long time, that Steve Kalafer is a Hall of Famer,” said Somerset Patriots President/ General Manager Patrick McVerry. “We have seen it for over 20 years at the ballpark and throughout our community. Nobody works harder to make a difference, take care of the community, and do the things you are supposed to do. We are very proud of Steve and this well-deserved honor.” The New Jersey Hall of Fame celebrates natives of the state that have overcome every imaginable obstacle and challenge. They have survived war, overcome the bleakness of poverty, conquered fear and disability and rebounded from untold rejections and failure. Their stories offer boundless hope and inspiration for millions of New Jerseyans. The New Jersey Hall of Fame “invites you to learn and interact with these inspired lives to chart your own path to extraordinary greatness.” The Somerset Patriots have brought professional baseball back to New Jersey from Friday, July 17th to Saturday, August 22nd. For more information about the Somerset Patriots and the SOMERSET Professional Baseball Series, please visit www.somersetpatriots.com, follow all of the team’s social media accounts, and download the Somerset Patriots Mobile App.
|
![]()
Browse by Month »
November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 |