Congratulations, Jon Bon Jovi!

The New Jersey Hall of Fame announced today the 13 inductees for the 2009 class, which includes Jon Bon Jovi, Jerry Lewis, basketball great and Newark native Shaquille O'Neal, and the comedic duo Abbott and Costello.

The winners are selected through a three-step process culminating in a three-month public vote. The class of 2009 also includes poets Walt Whitman and William Carlos Williams, Rutgers alum Paul Robeson, Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto, tennis legend Althea Gibson, father of radio communications Guglielmo Marconi, scientist Carl Sagan, and writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The 13 latest Hall of Fame members chosen from this list will join the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep and Buzz Aldrin when they are inducted into the hall on May 3 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. The gala red carpet ceremony will honor the inductees or their families, and tickets for the public will be available after the middle of February through the NJPAC office.

~ Hath