The Nutley Hall of Fame Committee has announced that the selections for the 2017 induction. Honorees must have been born in Nutley, a resident for at least ten years or a graduate of Nutley High School. These individuals have brought community pride to the town, based on their accomplishments on a state, national and/or international level.
The honorees include: Phil Cuzzi, a resident of Nutley for a number of years, has reached the pinnacle of sports officials. After paying his dues in the minor leagues and some early ups and downs in the majors, he has worked steadily as a major league umpire since 2000. This is one of the highest-pressure positions in all of sports, where critical calls have to be made before huge, partisan crowds. While not relevant to his selection, his work on raising funds to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease through the Robert Luongo ALS fund, which he initiated in 2003, is also highly noteworthy.
Rena DeAngelo, a 1984 graduate of Nutley High School, has found an interesting niche in the world of films and excels as a set decorator. She was a shared 2016 nominee for an Academy Award for her work on the movie ‘Bridge of Spies.’ In 2008, she shared a Primetime Emmy for her work on an episode of the well-known television drama Mad Men. She has been nominated for several other awards from BAFTA, the Art Directors Guild, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Online Film and Television Association and the San Francisco Film Critics’ Choice.
David DiFrancesco is a photo scientist, inventor, cinematographer and photographer. His contributions to the technical aspects of film making are truly outstanding. Most notably was his position as director of the Pixar Photoscience Team at Pixar Animation Studios. He has earned two scientific and engineering technical Academy Awards and has 16 patents. He is a 1967 graduate of Nutley High School.
The induction ceremony will be held in the Nutley Public Library on Sunday, November 19 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The $40.00 admission price includes champagne, soft drinks, beer and wine, a selection of gourmet finger foods, desserts and coffee. Checks payable to the “Nutley Hall of Fame Committee” may be sent or delivered to the Nutley Public Library at 93 Booth Drive, Nutley, NJ 07110 Attn: Gioya McRae. Questions may be directed to Sandra Carella at (973) 284-4929 ([email protected]) or Tony Iannarone at (973) 235-1065 ([email protected]).
