Stockton to Confer Honorary Doctorate on Boardwalk Empire Author Nelson Johnson

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Stockton to Confer Honorary Doctorate on Boardwalk Empire Author Nelson Johnson For Immediate Release Thursday, February 17, 2011 Contact: Tim Kelly Office of Public Relations Galloway Township, NJ 08240 [email protected] (609) 652-4950 Galloway Township, NJ- The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey will confer an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, on Nelson Johnson, author of the books Boardwalk Empire and the sequel, The Northside, at its spring Commencement ceremonies. Johnson’s first book is the basis for the award-winning HBO dramatic series of the same name. The announcement was made yesterday at the meeting of the College’s Board of Trustees. “We are pleased to confer this degree on a man who has devoted many years to researching the Atlantic City region’s history and preserving it for future generations,” Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., said. Johnson’s family has been in Atlantic County before the founding of Atlantic City itself. A lifelong resident of Hammonton, he practiced law for 30 years and has been active in Atlantic City and Atlantic County civic matters during that time. He was an attorney for the Atlantic City Planning Board at the time of the approvals for many of the city’s casinos; Johnson was inspired to make sense of the city’s history and to write an objective account. The interviews, research and writing involved in his first book spanned nearly 20 years. The book is currently the subject of an acclaimed dramatic series produced by HBO, which recently won numerous Golden Globe Awards. The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City, Johnson’s follow-up book, was recently released by Plexus Publishing, Inc. # # # .

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