Justice Helen Hoens, Robert Verdi Inducted Into CHS Hall of Fame

Columbia High School held its 26th annual Hall of Fame induction on Thursday morning, honoring New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Helen Hoens, '72, and celebrity stylist and TV personality Robert Verdi, '86.

Hoens was introduced by Harvey Weissbard, CHS '55, who served with Hoens as one of 35 judges in the Appellate Division of New Jersey's Superior Court. She was ultimately appointed to the state's highest court in 2006.

"Justice Hoens is just what you want in a courtroom—compassionate, scholarly, thoughtful," said Weissbard, who ran through his former colleague's biography. She has a B.A. from the College of William and Mary, went to Georgetown for law school and ultimately wound up in private practice, working as a trial lawyer. Former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman appointed her to the Superior Court in 1994.

Taking the podium, Hoens, who now lives in Basking Ridge, N.J., recalled that she wasn't first in her graduating class at CHS—she was 23rd out of around 700, to be more exact—and she never would have envisioned being enshrined in the school's hall of fame, since such honors were reserved for athletes then. If she'd been told that she would eventually be inducted, "I would have rolled on the floor, laughing out loud," she said.

She encouraged students to push back against obstacles and recounted some of her own—"blatant discrimination against women," caring for a disabled child, and the early death of her father, attorney Charles H. Hoens, Jr. She also urged them to work harder than anyone around them and to follow their dreams—"the kind of dreams that put men on the moon and women on the Supreme Court."

Verdi was introduced by his sister, Anna, who noted that she had been onstage as a Student Council member for the first-ever CHS Hall of Fame ceremony, which honored actor Roy Scheider and Judge Amalya Kearse. She proceeded to tell students that her brother had always been a larger-than-life personality, weighing 12 pounds at birth. "They broke the mold after he was born," she said.

After graduating from CHS, Verdi attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and wound up designing jewelry showcases for stores like Barney's, Bendel's, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf. He's now a stylist for celebrities like Eva Longoria, Tony Parker, Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard, Kathy Griffin, Kristen Wiig and Mariska Hargitay. His resume runs long and extends into interior design, fashion and lifestyle expertise, and he's appeared on "The View," "Regis & Kelly," "The Today Show," and CNN Headline News. He played himself in "The Devil Wears Prada" and now has his own TV docu-series "The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi."

Verdi—who was mobbed by teenage girls seeking autographs and photos after the assembly—described himself as a C-student at Columbia, but with great people skills and the ability to engage with peers. He said he felt humbled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, full of members of lofty professions like law and medicine.

"I'm just incredibly fabulous," he said, "and I always was." Looking back to his high school years, Verdi described himself as "a little Regina George-y" and not belonging to any particular clique.

He advised students be persistent in the pursuit of their dreams. "A million people said no to me, and I didn't let them stop me," he said. Remarking on the high rate of unemployment among 20-somethings currently, he offered one final piece of advice: "Never underestimate the power of a thank-you note."