John Hoffman, a shareholder of the law firm Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer P.A. and the legal counsel to Middlesex County College since 1964, is the 2010 L’Hommedieu Award recipient.
The L’Hommedieu Award is named for Paige D. L’Hommedieu, the founding chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees, a humanitarian who worked tirelessly on behalf of his fellow citizens. It is presented annually by Middlesex County College to an individual who exemplifies those characteristics. The award was presented by Dorothy K. Power, the chairman of the College board, during the Fall Convocation on August 30. During the ceremony, Mr. Hoffman received a resolution by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, presented by Freeholders Ronald Rios, Blanquita Valenti and Mildred Scott. He was also recognized with a Joint Resolution of the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly, which was presented by Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono.
“John is a man of the people and a pillar of the community,” Senator Buono said. She also offered best wishes for a great year to the College community. “Without a doubt, Middlesex County College is the best community college in the northeast because of how well it is run and how far it has come,” she said.
Mr. Hoffman, who graduated from Georgetown Law School in 1963, has been a distinguished member of the New Jersey legal and business community for almost 50 years.
“I have been counsel at Middlesex County College for over 45 years and the representation of this outstanding institution has been one of the highlights of my legal career,” Mr. Hoffman said. “I was privileged to represent the College when Mr. L’Hommedieu was chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was a man of integrity with great leadership skills. Mr. L’Hommedieu and the original Board of Trustees set a standard of excellence for the College that has been maintained throughout the history of the College.”
Thomas Tighe, the vice president of the Middlesex County College Board of Trustees, nominated Mr. Hoffman for the L’Hommedieu award.
“He is a pillar of society, with an incredible commitment to Middlesex County College and the community at large,” Mr. Tighe said. “He has been the College counsel since the very beginning of the institution and is an encyclopedia of knowledge about where we’ve been and where we are going. He always has the best interests of students and faculty at heart. He is well respected within legal circles and is very involved with numerous civic organizations. John is a man of unquestioned integrity and one of the classiest guys I know.”
Dorothy K. Power, chairman of the Board, echoed Mr. Tighe.
“John has given his professional life to this College and this community,” she said. “His expertise has been invaluable from the very beginning to this day. We all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Mr. Hoffman is chair of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Board of Directors, and former chair of the Hospital’s Foundation. He is a board member of New Jersey American Water Company, Liberty Water Company and Edison Water Company, and the Long Island Water Corporation, and he is a former trustee of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
He is also a member of the Middlesex County College Foundation.
Mr. Hoffman serves as construction counsel to the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, and special counsel to the New Brunswick Housing Authority and the New Brunswick Parking Authority for redevelopment issues, and special counsel to the Middlesex County Improvement Authority for open space acquisitions. He has also represented PSE&G and New Jersey Natural Gas in regulatory matters.
He has won numerous honors, including the Torch of Liberty award from the Anti-Defamation League, an honor recognized in a Joint Legislative Resolution of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly; he also received the 2007 Saint Thomas More Award from the Diocese of Metuchen.
He was recognized by the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce as a Community Leader of Distinction. In 2000, he was voted “Citizen of the Year” by the Woodbridge Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Hoffman is the former managing partner of the Wilentz law firm. At Wilentz, his areas of expertise include Municipal Authority Law, Public Utility Law, Administrative Law and Redevelopment Law.