Inside Hillsborough Township's municipal courtroom hang several large, original portraits of notable individuals who called our town home. Conceived almost a decade ago by Hillsborough's Cultural Arts Commission, the series of paintings were commissions awarded to student winners of the annual art show. The works celebrate both the artistic talent of our youth, and the lives of the memorable people depicted - two politicians, a couple of athletes, a famous opera soprano, and one of the world's most well known philanthropists.
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| 6 February 1977 Home News |
What we can't find looking down at us from the walls of the courtroom is someone to represent what Hillsborough was most known for throughout its 300 year history - farming.
I spent four years on the Cultural Arts Commission at the end of the last decade, and was pleased to have the opportunity to help get the portrait program up and running. The first three portraits - Pete Biondi, Anna Case Mackay, and Doris Duke - were all terrific choices. Still, I am disappointed that after my departure in 2011, the commission never got around to implementing my next choice - a Hillsborough farmer.
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| 16 September 1980 Home News |
There are and were many prominent farming families in Hillsborough. My choice of Tom Everett of Ever Lea Farms is only meant as an example, but I think it is a good one. Mr. Everett, who passed away much too soon in 2005 at the age of 55, ticks many boxes on my personal checklist.
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| 1 December 1983 Daily Record |
Firstly, at the time of his death, the Everett's had been on the family farm his grandfather bought in 1910 for nearly a century. Secondly, Everett was a scientific farmer who studied agronomy in college and brought his knowledge to the farm. Thirdly, he championed the plight of farmers in Somerset County and at the state level as the vice president of the NJ Farm Bureau, and as chairman of the Somerset County Agricultural Development Board. And fourthly, he won many awards during his career, including being named New Jersey's Outstanding Young Farmer of 1984.
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| 2 August 1990 Courier News |
Many Hillsborough residents remember fondly the farm stand on Beekman Lane, and the hayrides out to the pumpkin patch each Halloween. I know my family certainly does.
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| 26 October 2003 |
Hillsborough was never a center of commerce or industry, nor was it ever a major transportation hub or college town. Hillsborough made its name as a farming community, and therefore a farmer should be among the notable residents represented at the municipal building. I nominate Thomas R. Everett, Hillsborough Farmer.
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