50th Anniversary Gala

September 29, 2022 | Morven Museum & Garden, Princeton

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a magical evening in celebration of our 50th year of fostering public humanities. In addition to sustaining our ongoing work, the evening served as a meaningful convening of humanities professionals, scholars, and supporters, and as a showcase of some of the incredible humanities projects undertaken by New Jersey organizations in the recent past.

The Gala

In 1965, the National Commission on the Humanities declared “Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens. It must therefore foster and support a form of education, and access to the arts and the humanities, designed to make people of all backgrounds and wherever located masters of their technology and not its unthinking servants.” In that spirit, the National Endowment for the Humanities and state humanities councils were formed to democratize knowledge and to share the joy of the humanities widely.

NJCH has taken those words to be central from its founding in 1972 to today. We were proud to seize the opportunity to elevate the voices of organizations doing the important public humanities work of today.

On September 29, we were honored to host more than 150 guests including Holmes Prize-winning poet Evie Shockley, National Humanities Medal Winner and longtime NJCH board member Stan Katz, and the inaugural honorees of the Katz Prize named in his honor.

We thank Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, who presented state resolutions for both the Council and for Stan in recognition of a tradition of excellence.

Photos

More photos ahead!

This is just sample of the wonderful photos from the evening! Click below to view all photos from the event and download for personal use.

Google Photos

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Katz Prize

We were thrilled to award the inaugural Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in the Public Humanities, as well as two honorable mentions, at the Gala.

Anita Baakshi and Chief Mann on the Dais

Board and Gala Committee Members

Thank you to the members of the NJCH Board and those who served on the Gala Committee.

  • DAN FATTON, Chair 2020-2022*
  • MICHAEL KLEIN, J.D., PH.D., Treasurer
  • GREGORY WATERS, PH.D., Chair 2022- *
  • ASSEMBLYWOMAN CAROL MURPHY*
  • LAURA S. HERTZOG, ESQ.
  • ROSA FARIAS
  • JENNIFER J. SANCTON*
  • RAYMAN SOLOMON, J.D., PH.D
  • CHRISTOPHER FISHER, PH.D.
  • SARA D. SIEGLER, MLIS, QPA
  • HOWARD MARCHITELLO, PH.D.
  • ASSEMBLYWOMAN SADAF JAFFER, PH.D.
  • MICHAEL PERICE
  • LOURDES TANGO*
  • JONATHAN MERCANTINI, PH.D.
  • DENISE COULTER, ED.D.
  • JACQUELINE COLGAN**
  • THERESA JACKS
  • LACEY COTTER RZESZOWSKI*
  • MARK HONTZ
  • TONY IACONO, PH.D.
  • AUDREY TRUSCHKE, PH.D.
  • LYNNE TOYE

*Gala Committee Member
**Gala Committee Chair

SPONSORS

Thank you to the sponsors whose generosity helped make the evening and our ongoing work possible.

$5,000

Rutgers University Press
Princeton University

$3,500

County College of Morris

(Table Sponsor)

Montclair State University

(Table Sponsor)

$3,000

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind

(Centerpiece Sponsor)

$2,000

WAUSM

(Program Sponsor)

$1,500

CHA Partners

(Gift Bag Sponsor)

TIAA

Douglas and Margee Greenberg

$1,000

Ideal Image Consulting

(VIP Tour Sponsor)

Alex Justino & Dan Fatton, Ideal Image Consulting
(VIP Tour Sponsor)

Greg & Terry Waters
(Humanities Moment Sponsor)

$750

Lourdes Tango Consulting

(Photography Sponsor)

Ion Technology

(Photography Sponsor)

YPTC

(Music Sponsor)

Assemblywoman Carol Murphy
(Photography Sponsor)

Laura & Matt Hertzog
(Music Sponsor)

$500

Atlantic Cape CC

(Dessert Sponsor)

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS!

This year the New Jersey Council for the Humanities is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Join us at one of our events in order to reflect on and celebrate the history of the Council.

LEARN MORE