After years of lobbying, Tom Meyers and the Fort Lee Film Commission has succeeded in getting Alice Guy included in the NJ Hall of Fame.
Her actual induction date, along with the other NJ hall of fame inductees, is October 21st with a dinner at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands. That will be followed by a formal announcement of all inductees at the Giants football game at the adjacent MetLife Stadium that same night.
Here is the letter that Tom sent to announcing the event:
Dear Fort Lee Mayor & Council, Borough Administrator, Fort Lee Film Commission Members and Senator Weinberg,
I have very good news to report - today the New Jersey Hall of Fame at a Jersey City press conference announced the inductees for the NJ Hall of Fame for 2013 and among the inductees is Alice Guy Blache!
Madame Blache built Solax Studio on Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee in 1912 and she directed, produced and wrote films here through World War I, before women in this nation had the right to vote. The Fort Lee Film Commission lobbied to gain entry for Madame Blache in the NJ Hall of Fame in 2012 and having failed I reached out to Senator Weinberg. Senator Weinberg was committed to seeing to it that Alice Guy made th NJ Hall of Fame so, through Senate President Sweeney, she had me placed on the NJ Hall of Fame as a commissioner. Thanks to both Senators Weinberg and Sweeney I was able to lobby for Alice Guy's entry through meetings with my fellow commissioners and the result was positive.
I once again thank Senators Weinberg and Sweeney for without their assistance we would not have gained a deserved entry into the New Jersey Hall of Fame for our film pioneer Alice Guy Blache.
Also admitted to the class of 2013 re the NJ Hall of Fame are American Revolution patriot Thomas Paine (with ties to both Fort Lee and Bordentown) and legendary singer and former Fort Lee resident the late Celia Cruz.
All the best,
Tom Meyers
Fort Lee Film Commission Executive Director
NJ Hall of Fame Commissioner