The New Jersey Hall of Fame renamed and honored their newly redesigned Vauxhall service park area after the iconic R&B singer Whitney Houston earlier this month. In a garden ceremony, the Hall of Fame committee honored the late New Jersey-born and raised singer’s longtime manager, Pat Houston, who shared that above all fame and success, Whitney was simply a Jersey girl thorough and thorough.
“Whitney was the true definition of a Jersey girl,” said Pat Houston. “She loved New Jersey and her hometown. She was born, bred, and educated here. Whitney has traveled to six of the seven continents, and no matter where she visited, she always looked forward to returning home to Jersey. And with more than 400 awards and honors to her credits, I know she would be most proud of the Whitney E. Houston Garden Parkway Service area renamed in her honor.”
Visitors will be allowed to explore the historic history of Whitney Houston and her mission to inspire New Jersey citizens to accomplish greatness through various exhibits inside the garden service area.
“This is another step in our ongoing mission to uphold outstanding New Jerseyans as we educate and inspire future generations to live their lives on purpose and realize their highest sense of self and for the greater good,” said Steve Edwards, President of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. “Through our exhibitions at service areas and transit terminals, our mobile museum, our school curriculum programs, and our upcoming Entertainment and Learning Center at American Dream this spring, we will tell the story of New Jersey heroes like Whitney Houston and the obstacles they overcame to be their best.”
Born in Newark, New Jersey on August 9, 1963, Whitney Houston became the voice of a generation with unforgettable songs such as “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” and an iconic career that included her selling over 220 million worldwide. Given the moniker “The Voice” in the ’90s by fans and industry alike, Whitney Houston is a known inspiration to the majority of the songstresses in today’s R&B.
