The selections were made by a panel of judges who reviewed hundreds of pages of material gathered over the past eight months. The selections were limited to persons “who through significant achievement on a statewide, national, or international level, have distinguished themselves and made their association with Nutley a matter of pride for the community.”

Additionally, candidates must have been born in Nutley, or be a graduate of Nutley High School, or a resident of Nutley for a minimum of 10 years.

The inductees, listed alphabetically, include:

Carol Blazejowski, Manager of the N.Y. Liberty

Carol Blazejowski, presently the senior vice president and general manager of New York Liberty, is one of the greatest players in the history of women’s basketball. Her performance in both the collegiate and the professional arena was enshrined in 1994 with her induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA., and in 1999, when she was inducted into the inaugural Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, TN.

“The Blaze,” as she’s known to fans, is still the all-time leading scorer in women’s collegiate basketball with 3,199 points in four seasons at Montclair State University. In a 1977 game against Queens College at Madison Square Garden, Blazejowski scored 52 points, the all-time single game collegiate scoring record that still stands for both men and women.

After college, Blazejowski was the captain of the 1980 U.S Olympic team. In October of that same year, she began her professional career with the New Jersey Gems. She later worked for Adidas and the National Basketball Association (NBA) before joining management in the Liberty front office in January 1977.

Other career highlights include gold medals at the World University Games and the World Championships, both in 1979; silver medalist in the 1979 Pam American Games, induction into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 1995, the N.J. Sports Writers’ Association Hall of Fame in 1993, and the New York Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Blazejowski resides in Nutley with her family.

Dr. Nicholas L. DePace, Heart Disease Specialist

   Three years after his graduation at Nutley High School, Dr. Nicholas L. DePace received a bachelor's degree fat Seton Hall University in South Orange. He received his medical degree at Mt. Sinai Medical School in New York City.

    He completed his internal medicine residency at Hahnemann Medical College and his cardiology fellowship at the Likoff Cardiovascular Institute. During his medical training, Dr. DePace excelled in research, resulting in the publication of nearly 70 papers on advanced concepts related to cardiology.

   Dr. DePace was especially concerned with the regression of heart disease. Continuing his studies, he achieved full fellowship status at the American College of Cardiology in 1983. Ten years later, in 1993, he summarized much of his work in book written especially to be easily understood by his patients, “The Heart Repair Manual.” Published by W. W. Norton, the book details a nine-month formula for the prevention and reversal of heart disease.

In the 1990’s, he ran the DePace Medical Center and was a professor of clinical medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He has a weekly radio call-in program in Philadelphia.

A long-time collector of baseball memorabilia, Dr. DePace presently is working with the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair where his 20-years of collecting signed baseball cards and game equipment is being donated in a generous effort to further the development of the museum.

Today, Dr. DePace is the clinical professor medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia where he is now triple-board certified, having completed certification in esocardiography this past June.

Dr. Depace has been learning Italian over the past couple of years and holds a weekly class with friends to better communicate with his Italian-speaking patients in South Philadelphia as well as better understanding his Italian culture and heritage. Dr. DePace's father and many relatives still call Nutley their home. Dr. DePace resides in Haddonfield, N.J., with his wife of 25 years, Marilyn, and their son, Nicholas Jr., a freshman studying biology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ron Fraser of Miami University Fame

Nicknamed “the Wizard of College Baseball,” this 1952 Nutley High School graduate in 30 years never had a losing season as head baseball coach at the University of Miami. Fraser retired in 1992 with the most career victories of any active college coach, 1,275 wins against 438 loses. Fraser has been inducted into seven halls of fame, named coach of the year 24 times, holds the NCAA record of 20 consecutive tournament appearances and played in the College World Series 12 times.

And he never has forgotten Nutley. For decades, he made sure that his hometown visitors to Florida got the best seats at the game and the best accommodations at restaurants in town. Fraser was also a top international amateur coach. He was the Netherlands national baseball director and coached the Dutch Baseball Club to two European championships in the early 1960’s. He is the only American to be named International Coach of the Year, which he did twice, and he led the United States Pam American Team to a silver medal in 1987. He also was named head coach in 1992 of the first official United States Olympic Baseball team that played in Barcelona, Spain.

The author of several books on baseball, Ron is a nationally recognized motivation speaker, television color analyst and a special consultant for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At Miami, he was also known as an exceptional promoter. He helped create the Miami Maniac, one of the most recognizable mascots in college baseball. He also introduced batgirls to the game, coached a team that was the first to wear green gloves on St. Patrick’s Day, and even provided free admission to fans showing up in bathing suits. Ron and his wife, Karen, reside in Weston, Fla.

Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize Author

   A graduate of Nutley High School, Paul Goldberger headed for Yale University, undecided whether he wanted to become an architect or continue with his very early success as a journalist. While a freshman at Yale, his first piece submitted to the New York Times was published as a cover story in its Sunday magazine. Three years later with a Yale degree in hand, Paul became the architecture critic for The Times. In 1990 he was named cultural news editor and in 1994 he became the newspaper’s chief cultural correspondent. Paul Goldberger won a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for his architecture criticism, the highest award in journalism.

   After 25 years at the New York Times, Paul eased his newspaper work schedule by joining the New Yorker magazine as its architecture critic. He also began teaching a course at the University of California’s School of Journalism based on experiences in covering the redevelopment of the World Trade Center area and other large-scale urban construction projects.

Paul Goldberger also is the dean of the Parsons School of Design in New York City. He frequently appears on film and television to discuss art, architecture, and cities. Recent appearances include his participation in Frank Burn’s epic “New York” documentary Film,” and in Lynn Novick’s “Frank Lloyd Wright.” Goldberger has also written several books including “Up from Zero,” released this month and billed as “the inside story of the quest to rebuild the 16-acre site where the towers of the World Trade Center once stood.

Francis Goodrich, Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright
“The Diary of Anne Frank”

   Francis Goodrich (1890-1984) was born in Belleville, moved to Nutley at the age of two and grew up in the large family home at 187 Nutley Avenue. It was a home where she would later marry Albert Hackett. The couple wrote dozens of plays and scripts for Hollywood films. The first play they competed together, “Up Pops the Devil,” was the first staged production of the Nutley Little Theatre on Nov. 23, 1934.

   Francis and Albert became well know for their screenplays on the three “Thin Man” films staring Myrna Loy and William Powell, and on Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life.” But Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett’s crowning achievement came as playwrights on ”The Diary of Anne Frank” for which they won the Pulitzer Prize.
 

Dr. Christine Elizabeth Haycock; Military Pioneer

   Dr. Christine E. Haycock, a former resident and graduate of Nutley High School, pioneered the path for women in the military, and especially in medicine by becoming, in 1952, the Army’s first woman intern at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. Dr. Haycock was also the first woman to transfer from the Army Nurse Corps to the Army Medical Corps, and the first woman to hold a major command in New Jersey and the only the third woman in the United States to do so. Dr. Haycock served as commander of the Army’s 322nd General Hospital.

   Born in Mt. Vernon, N.Y, (1924) and raised first in Richmond, VA, and then in Nutley, she went from Nutley High School to the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing, earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago, and then a medical degree at the State University of New York. Dr. Haycock also holds a master's degree in political science from Rutgers University.

   Dr. Haycock first served in the Army during WWII with the US Cadet Nurse Corps. She extended her military career when she obtained her medical degree and became the first woman intern at Walter Reed. After serving in the United States and Japan, she reverted to active Reserve status and ultimately retired as a colonel in 1984. She is also a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College.

    Dr. Haycock resumed her work as a surgeon following her active military service at St. Barnabas Medical Center and at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn. Returning to Newark, she began a private practice in general surgery.

    Dr. Haycock is a diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. A leading expert in Sports Medicine and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, she has published widely in this field, particularly concerning women in sports. In 1982, she served as president of the American Medical Women's Association, and was a past president of the New Jersey Medical Women's Association.

   Dr. Haycock was long affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In 1968, she joined the faculty of the New Jersey Medical School as associate professor of surgery and director of emergency services at University Hospital. She retired in 1992 as professor emeritus of surgery.

The Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine and The College of Physicians of Philadelphia presented The Fifth Annual Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Woman Award to Dr. Haycock on October 28, 2004. In their citation, it was noted that "Dr. Haycock excelled as a physician, teacher and mentor to other women who sought to become physicians. She is best known for her influence on Sports Medicine for women, her work on the eradication of uterine cancer, and her leadership in the establishment of the trauma center at University Hospital in Newark as well as her post as commander of a trauma unit during her service in the Army Medical Corps."

Dr. Richard J. Jackson;
Director Center Disease Controls

   Dr. Richard J. Jackson this fall will be awarded the Presidential Distinguished Executive Award by President Bush for his outstanding leadership and extraordinary achievement in improving environmental public health. The former Nutley resident served nine years as director of the Center of Disease Controls (CDC), providing oversight in long-term planning for national and international heath matters, especially in the area of emergencies, child health and disease related to both natural and human-made chemicals.

    Jackson began his studies at St. Mary’s elementary school in Nutley, went on to Essex Catholic High School and earned an undergraduate degree in biology at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City. He was a member of the first graduating class at Rutgers Medical School.

    A frequent visitor to Nutley to enjoy time with his mother, family and friends, Dr. Jackson was motivated to a career in pediatrics and environmental public health by his father’s untimely death from

    Dr. Jackson has been a key player in revolutionizing urban development by convincing builders to avoid “urban designs” that have a direct effect on conditions that lead to obesity and respiratory and stress-related diseases.

    His commitment to improve public health began in 1975 when he became an officer with the Center on Disease Control (CDC) and began investigating epidemics throughout the world. He was instrumental in California’s establishment of its birth defects monitoring program.

   When he eventually became director of the CDC, Dr. Jackson initiated programs encouraging states to develop bio-monitoring skills. He also was responsible for strengthening the CDC’s emergency response capacity. On Sept. 11, 2001, he directed CDC personnel at the World Trade Center site, work that continued for several weeks as Dr. Jackson worked tirelessly in Manhattan, /Washington and Atlanta to cope with the aftermath of September 11 and the anthrax threats.

Reginald Marsh, A Controversial Artist of His Era

   Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) – His parents were both artists living in Paris when Reginald was born. Two years later, his father, Fred Dana Marsh, moved to a new home and studio in Nutley. Throughout his childhood, young Reginald was taught to draw, influenced not only by his father, but by contemporaries like Albert Sterner, Ernest Haskell and George Bellow all frequent visitors to his Nutley home which became a popular weekend location for artists to exchange ideas.

   At Yale University Reginald Marsh became a cartoonist on the Yale Record, then a freelance artist for Vanity Fair and the New York Daily News. During his mid 20’s, Marsh started to paint and soon became engrossed in what he calls “the great surrounding panorama of New York.” He developed what some called a “lusty technique” in painting New York scenes He once told of his love for “the great Coney Island Beach for its infinite number and kinds of people, for the physical manifestations of people from head to toe, its variety of design and its great vitality.”

    Despite his often radical political views, Reginald Marsh was commissioned in the 1930’s by the U.S government to paint the large murals on post office walls depicting the transfer of mail. Marsh’s paintings have been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the, Whitney Museum, Addison Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Boston Museum, among other notable locations. In 1943, Marsh was elected a full academician by the National Academy of Design. He died in Dorset, Vermont, in 1954.

Dr. Andrew L. Pecora; Leader in Stem Cell Research

   Dr. Andrew L. Pecora is the chairman and director of the Cancer Unit at Hackensack University’s Medical Center. He is also the senior scientist for biomedical research at the Hackensack center and a professor of medicine at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.

   As the co-founder of the Cancer Center, which has grown from 20 to more than 100 staff workers, Dr. Pecora has recruited and retained many of the most highly-respective specialists in the United States. His work at the University Medical Center successfully initiated an adult stem cell transplant program. Dr. Pecora has been especially active in research dealing with hematology, radiation oncology and blood and marrow stem cell transplants.

   Born and raised in Nutley, Dr. Pecora, a Nutley High School graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and was graduated magna cum laude at Seton Hall in 1979. He received his doctorate at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1984. Among his recent citations is an award presented in Florence, Italy, for outstanding contributions in research on high dose chemotherapy for breast and ovarian cancer. In 2001, Dr. Pecora was cited for advanced cancer research at the Annual Retreat on cancer Research in New Jersey.

Dr. Ronald J. Scrudato,
Director Environmental Research

   Dr. Ronald J. Scrudato has been the director of the New York University’s Environmental Research Center at Oswego, N.Y. since 1977, and for the past 10 years, has devoted much of his time dealing with Native American issues.

   Working closely with the Mohawks at Akwesasne, the Siberian Yupiks of St. Lawrence Island, and the Aleuts of Adak on the Aleutians, he has developed practical techniques to degrade contaminants in groundwater and soils.

   A graduate of Nutley High School, Scrudato holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Clemson University, a master’s in geology from Tulane University, and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina. He has taught courses in marine sciences, geology and environmental impacts of coal mining (the later at Marshal University in Huntington, West Virginia.)

    Internationally, Dr. Scrudato has served as an environmental and research advisor to the Kingdom of Jordan and its Yarmouk University. He’s worked in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on the development of regional and national environmental programs, and in 2000, completed an assessment of issues for Uganda after studying the impact of landfill operations and pesticide disposal on drinking water supplies.

   Dr. Scrudato serves on New York State’s Superfund Management Board and holds a number of patents dealing with the control of toxic releases into the environment.

    In Nutley, Dr. Scrudato attended St. Mary’s elementary school and was graduated at Nutley High in 1958. He held the school javelin record for about 10 years, ran varsity track and played football for two seasons. At Clemson University, he was a starting fullback and the leading 1961 scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was voted most valuable player by his Clemson teammates the same year.

Nutley Hall of Fame 2003

Nutley Hall of Fame 2007