Almost Famous:
A Hall Of Fame New Yorkers Can Call Their Own

By Aaron Rutkoff

It’s time to deck the hall, according to a Queens man with a plan for honoring the Big Apple’s best residents.

In a city known for its museums, longtime Flushing resident Albert Stern saw a major opportunity to make his cultural contribution. 

He decided to found and organize the New York City Hall of Fame.

“I’ve been very fortunate, and to my way of thinking, when you are fortunate and the city you have lived in has helped you be fortunate, then you must give something back.  That is my whole philosophy, so to speak,” Stern told the Tribune. 

Along with a group of friends-turned-trustees, Stern officially formed the non-profit group Friends of the New York City Hall of Fame just over a year ago.

Since then the institution has become a virtual reality with plans to locate in the physical heart of New York City— right here in Queens.

The inspiration for the New York City Hall of Fame came to Stern during an idle moment between batters in a televised baseball game, when the announcer mentioned the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

“And it just struck me funny and I said, ‘Hey, that’s not a bad idea.  How about a New York City Hall of Fame?’” Stern recalled.  “But I said wait a minute, there must be New York City Hall of Fame. 

After an Internet search and a little poking around, Stern determined that — despite legions of celebrated residents and historic figures — New York City did not have its own hall of fame. 

Even more remarkable, Stern could not find any major city with a hall of fame devoted to the achievements of its citizens.

The events of  Sept. 11 not only sharpened Stern’s desire to create the hall of fame, but also convinced him to devote the hall to the extraordinary but anonymous strivers as much as to the celebrated personalities of the Big Apple. 

Watching the heroic recovery effort around the World Trade Center, Stern hoped the hall of fame could “take pride in the people that live in the city and that do good works in the city that are never recognized,” he explained.  “They live and die in the city,  and nobody ever heard of them.”

As a result, Stern and his fellow trustees decided to “do something a bit different” from other halls of fame, which focus on success in a particular field. 

The New York City Hall of Fame, Stern determined, would “recognize individuals who have contributed to the betterment of New York City.  And we decided that it would be both celebrity as well as the average John Doe or Jane Doe.”

The criteria for acceptance into the New York City Hall of Fame, as Stern frames it, are fairly open-ended, allowing the trustees to evaluate nominees on a case by case basis.  “We decided that the people that would be inducted into the New York City Hall of Fame would have to be people of principle and integrity,” Stern explained.  “Now let me clarify that:  we’re not looking for saints. You want saints, go to the Vatican!”

In this way, Stern made it clear that notoriety itself would not land a nominee in the hall, but important contributions alone would not be the ticket either. 

In his hall of fame, Stern wants to celebrate individuals with overall positive lives.

Moreover, Stern also decided that organizations would also be eligible for induction into the hall of fame.

In order to assist in the evaluation process, Stern also added the prerequisite of community recognition. 

He said, “One of the criteria is that the person has had to have received recognition from a legitimate source,” which include governmental and civic organizations as well as newspapers.

On the group’s website (www.nychalloffame.org), anyone can nominate an individual or group for the honor of induction into the New York City Hall of Fame in the eleven categories listed on the site.  In order to prevent an overflow of nominees, the trustees have set a limit of 50 nominees per category in every fiscal quarter.  Categories include Architecture, Business Development, Charitable Contribution, Education, Volunteerism and Heroism.

While the Friends of the New York City Hall of Fame continue to raise money and evaluate nominations, the website will serve as the virtual hall of fame in which the public can learn about those already inducted and help support the organization. 

But eventually, Stern plans to construct a state-of-the-art building.

“We are going to do something that’s very, very unusual,” he said.  “The physical museum will not be located in Manhattan.  It will be located, of all places, in Woodside, Queens.”

Though this may seem an unorthodox location for a museum with citywide appeal, Stern has a significant reason for his choice. He said, “Most people are not aware of the fact that Woodside, Queens is the geographical center of New York City.”

As the fundraising activities move ahead, Stern has his eye on a museum construction date of three years down the road. 

In the meantime, the New York City Hall of Fame will hold periodic induction ceremonies, much like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did while awaiting construction of its Cleveland museum. 

The first induction ceremony is scheduled for next spring, Stern said, and inductees will receive plaques in lieu of their permanent exhibit in the hall.

But Stern’s plan calls for an ambitious final design. 

“This is something we’ve been working on for a long time and we feel that if we bring it to fruition it will be such an attraction that our reputation will become very well known,” Stern explained.  “Each inductee will be developed into a hologram.  It will be encased in a large plastic case, and all the things that are involved in the inductee will be in the hologram.”

If completed as he envisions it, Stern is confident the New York City Hall of Fame will become a one-of-a-kind museum in a city known for unique attractions.

According to Stern, the New York City Hall of Fame is in a critical fundraising period presently, which has been made more difficult by the sluggish economy. 

As a result, his organization is only asking for a small donation from people interested in supporting the new institution. 

“Initially, as far as individuals are concerned, we are only asking for a $5 donation.  If one wanted to give more, we appreciate and think it is an admirable thing to do, but a $5 donation will be more than sufficient,” Stern said. 

Donations can be made at the New York City Hall of Fame website (www.nychalloffame.org)