Two individuals with longtime ties to the Hope-Blairstown area will be among six who are inducted into the Warren County Hall of Fame on Nov. 5.

Gary Gray and Marie Maier have each made a name for themselves as important figures in Northwest New Jersey.

The annual event, presented by the Warren County Community College Foundation, will take place at Hawk Point Golf Club. The public is invited to this gala affair.

This year’s honorees include Gray, Dr. Nick Avallone, Charles Fineran, Paul Sterbenz, Carolyn Wolf, and Maier, posthumously.

Gray was born and raised in Warren County and is a graduate of Belvidere High School. After graduating from high school he immediately went to work with a contracting company. A few years later he bought a truck and started a garbage collection company. Fast forward and that simple start became hugely successful; at one time Gary Gray Trucking had 600 trucks on the road. Gary has parlayed his own good fortune by helping others. He built athletic fields at North Warren High School and at Tunnel Field in Knowlton Township. He is extremely giving, providing much help to many non-profits in the area. He says, “Giving back to the community is a wonderful thing. I am blessed to be able to do that.”

Gray, who says that he attended the “school of hard knocks”, credits his dad for teaching him to always find a way to give back. And he has done just that, as a member of the Knowlton Lions Club and in general supporting numerous groups throughout the region.   

Marie Maier, along with her husband, started Educational Products, Inc. manufacturing the first plastic cookie cutters in the U.S. In 1953, she and her husband bought a farm in Hope and soon after opened up the Land of Make Believe Amusement Park, in 1954. Land of Make Believe is the oldest and largest family operated water and amusement park in NJ. 

She was one of the founding members of the Sussex/North Warren Girl Scouts Council. organized a Mothers Club at the Hope School, and was an original member of the Hope Historical Society. Maier was active in the Red Cross during hurricane Diane in 1955. In 2009 when she turned 100, she received many accolades and legislative proclamations for her efforts in the community. Her family and friends always knew her as someone who believed that a sense of humor was the key to staying young.

For tickets, go to https://conta.cc/3RPYbo7. Additional information on tickets and sponsorships, please email samir@warren.edu.