Ceremonies at Library, Sunday Afternoon, Nov. 4, 2007
    Ten persons will be inducted into the Nutley Hall of Fame during ceremonies planned for Sunday afternoon, Nov. 4, at the Public Library.  The dedication is the third bi-annual induction ceremony since the program was initiated in 2003.  Tickets for the three-hour reception and program are available by telephoning the library at 973-667-0405.

   Announcement of the 10 recipients was made by Pat Ritacco, chairman of the Hall of Fame’s Administrative Committee.  To qualify, candidates must have met one of three criteria: a graduate of Nutley High School, a Nutley resident for at least 10 years, and having made significant contributions to society on a national or international level. Those nominated are then reviewed, researched and ranked by a separate panel of judges. 

   The 10 inductees for 2008, alphabetically, are:

Philip M. Boffey
Two-Times Winner of Pulitizer Prize

   Philip M. Boffey is a member of the New York Times editorial board and has twice won the Pulitzer Prize. Once for team coverage in 1986 for a series on the Star Wars missile defense system, and in again in 1987 for coverage of the space shuttle Challenger  disaster.

    Born in East Orange, Mr. Boffey attended elementary and junior high school in Nutley before completing his secondary education in Exeter, N.J, where he was graduated as class valedictorian. Mr. Boffey is a magna cum laude 1958 graduate of Harvard College.

   He began his career in journalism at the Wilmington (Del) News Journal and then moved to the Chicago Daily News and Wall Street Journal before joining the N.Y. Times. He is the author of “The Brain Bank of America,” an investigation of the National Academy of Sciences.  Mr. Boffey also is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers. He continues today as a director of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing.

Jane Grey Burgio
Developed N.J. State Council of the Arts

   Jane Grey Burgio, the granddaughter of Abram Blum, the first mayor of Nutley, served as New Jersey’s Secretary of State under the administration of Gov. Thomas Kean. Previously she was instrumental in the development of the State Council of the Arts and the N.J. Historical Commission.

    Born in Nutley and a graduate of Nutley High School, Jane Burgio served eight years as a N.J. Assemblywoman.  The sister of Nutley civic leader, Ruth Bedford, Jane Burgio died in 2005.

James Carlin
His Paintings Exhibited Around the World

   James Carlin, an internationally acclaimed Nutley artist, was one of Nutley’s most colorful personalities. Although his work was exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he seemed to especially enjoy sharing his paintings with the Nutley community.  His works were frequently on display at Nutley Savings and Loan and often included local scenes capturing the beauty of Nutley’s parks and structures like the former ITT tower. His home and studio were located on Cathedral Avenue where he resided from 1953 until his death in 2005.

Angelica Vitillo Costa
Deputy Director U.S. Navy Nurse Corps

   Angelica Vitillo Costa, a highly decorated captain in the U.S. Navy, served during World War II and again during the Vietnam War when she was summoned to serve as chief of nursing services on the re-commissioned hospital ship USS Repose.  Her final years in service were as the Deputy Director of the Navy Nurse Corps, responsible for ensuring that medical facilities around the world were at the highest standard of care for military personnel and their families.

   Captain Costa began her Navy career in 1945 on Guam, caring for casualties from the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  Twenty-five years later, she retired in ceremonies held at the White House where she was presented with the Meritorious Service Award by President Lyndon Johnson.  Capt. Costa was a graduate of Nutley High School. She died in 2002.

Steven Fastook
Vice President CNBC, Winner of Nine Emmy Awards

   Steven Fastook, a 1979 Nutley High School graduate, is vice president of technical and commercial operations for CNBC which airs in nearly 300 million homes worldwide.  He presently oversees the global operations of CNBC including 14 hours of daily live television, its world headquarters in nearby Englewood Cliffs, and the network’s four domestic bureaus plus those in Singapore and London.  

    As a volunteer for OBC-TV in Nutley during his high school and early college years, he engineered the relocation of its studios and directed an hour-long nightly local newscast seen in Nutley and neighboring towns in Essex, Passaic and Bergen counties, a first for the new cable television medium.  While a college student, he designed and build a television studio for Kean College where he also wrote and developed a comprehensive television production curriculum.

   Fastook joined NBC in 1986 as a design engineer and soon was named manager of news technical operations for WNBC-TV where he was responsible for coverage of New York City events including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

   In 1999, he was named vice president of NBC studio operations and later became the vice president of advanced technology. In 2001, he was assigned to manage the $137 million construction project for CNBC’s world headquarters in Englewood Cliffs.

   Mr. Fastook has won nine Emmy Awards. In May 2007, he was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Kean University. 

Dr. Bevan M. French
Planetary Geologist, Author, NASA Lunar Explorer

   Dr. Bevan M. French, one of the world’s leading planetary geologists and authors, has been in the forefront of lunar explorations for NASA and today continues his work as a scientist researching the effects and remains of major meteorite impacts around the world.  He also has participated in astronaut training for the Apollo 17 and 17 missions and researched shock-metamorphic effects in lunar samples returned by the Russian Luna-16 robot probe.

   A 1954 graduate of Nutley High School, Dr. French also has been a research geologist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and a visiting professor at both Dartmouth College and the University of Vienna. His books include “What’s New on the Moon?”, “Mars: The Viking Discoveries” and “The Moon Book.”  Dr. French now resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Richard Nanes
Internationally Acclaimed Composer

   Richard Nanes, an internationally acclaimed composer and pianist, is the recipient of eight consecutive silver International Angel Awards including the latest in 2007. Born in Nutley, his international recognition as a composer followed the European premier of his Symphony No. 2 by the London Symphony Orchestra. His Symphony No.3, “The Holocaust” was telecast nationally and worldwide on three separate occasions.

   In 1997, Mr. Nanes was named composer-in-residence to the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra in New Mexico. His works have been performed by orchestras in Paris, Kiev, Madrid, Budapest, Beijing and Tokyo.

Stephen Petronio
Acclaimed International Choreographer

   Stephen Petronio, a 1974 graduate of Nutley High School, is an acclaimed choreographer and artistic director who, just before leaving town for college, saw his calling after a cousin, a dancer, took him to see a performance featuring Rudolf  Nureyev in “Sleeping Beauty.” Immediately inspired, Petronio began dance classes as a freshman at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and quickly dedicated himself to dance, studying improvision and modern techniques.

   He went on to form the Stephen Petronio Company in 1984 which has received international acclaim in performances throughout the world, in 25 counties and more than 30 engagements in New York City.  His company currently is preparing for its largest American tour to date. 

   Petronio has received numerous choreography fellowships and grants. He has been commissioned to create new works for companies including William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet, the Sydney Dance Company, Tulsa Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Lyon Opera Ballet.

Dr. Milton Prystowski
Acclaimed Pioneer in Pediatric Cardiology

   Dr. Milton Prystowski, born in Nutley and a graduate of Nutley High School, has dedicated his life to championing issues affecting the lives of thousands of children and their families. He was New Jersey’s first pediatric cardiologist when he began his practice in 1951 and has since mentored and trained generations of pediatricians in the country’s leading hospitals and government agencies.

   The first honor graduate at South Carolina’s Charleston College, Dr. Prystowski was the first pediatric cardiologist when he began his practice in 1951. He has led numerous government and councils, developed New Jersey’s senior services program under the State Dept. of Health and created the nation-wide Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund.”

   He served as director of pediatric cardiology and headed the cardiovascular laboratory at United Hospitals of Newark and the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. His residencies have included John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and United Hospitals of Newark where he served as director of Pediatric Cardiology and as director of the Cardiovascular Laboratory. He also serves the State of New Jersey as a member of the Cardiovascular Health Advisory Board.

The New York Times, in its report on the horrific fire that destroyed the Prystowsky home in Nutley, killing his wife and a caretaker, noted that “everybody takes his telephone calls, even the president of Blue Cross and the White House.” 

   Despite his pressing schedule of hospital work, Dr. Prystowski always has time for his patients and their families at home. He’s made thousands of house calls, caring for patients regardless of whether or not they were covered by insurance. Both he and his wife were well known for their community work in Nutley.

Dr. Prystowski received the 2005 Humanitarian Award presented by the St. Barnabas Health Care System in New Jersey. He was also the recipient of the 50th anniversary Medicare Award by the N.J. Dept. of Health. Dr. and Mrs. Prystowski are the parents of five sons, four of whom are physicians and one a Ph.D.

Dr. Eric N. Prystowski
International Editor Cardiovascular Electrophysiology

   Dr. Eric N. Prystowski, a 1965 Nutley High School graduate, has achieved international prominence in teaching, research and patient care in cardiac electrophysiology.  He has co-authored two textbooks, serves on the editorial boards of 16 medical journals and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology and Medscape for the internet WebMD.

   Named outstanding senior upon his graduation at Pennsylvania State University in 1969, he completed his internal medicine training at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and at the Duke University Medical Center.  He was a full-time faculty member from 1979-1986 at the Indiana University School of Medicine where he was director of the electrophysiology laboratory.

   “Of everything I do, I’m most passionate about teaching,” he said in accepting the Distinguished Alumni Award from Pennsylvania State University in 2007. He has trained many electro-physiologists who are currently chiefs of cardiology in the United States and other countries. The recipient of numerous awards from colleges and universities, Dr. Prystowski has also been named by his peers to “The Best Doctors in America” since its inception in 1992.