California's Hall of Fame has a handful of new members with ties to the Bay Area.
Six of the 13 new members being inducted to the California Hall of Fame on Tueday night are from the Bay Area, highlighting the talent, genius and innovation that have become trademarks of the region.
Among the new inductees to this year's Hall of Fame are: football legend John Madden, filmmaker George Lucas, politician Harvey Milk, author Danielle Steel, Intel co-founder Andy Grove and industrialist Henry Kaiser. (Our invitations got lost in the mail, so we'll be watching the livestream of the ceremony tonight, along with the rest of the regular people.)
Madden, who hails from Pleasanton, has made his name synonymous with football -- from the gridiron to the gaming console.
When it comes to movies, you can't really talk about the modern classics without mentioning George Lucas. Without Lucas, we wouldn't have been talking about films such as "American Graffiti," "Apocolypse Now," and, oh, yeah, "Star Wars," for the past 30 or so years.
San Francisco has been known for a long time as a haven for gays. It started back in the 70s with the country's first elected openly-gay politician. Harvey Milk's story, which inspires everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, was made into a film in 2008 starring Sean Penn.
You might not have heard of Andy Grove but without his expertise and drive, we might not be using these tiny pieces of technology known as microchips. After he graduated from UC Berkeley, Grove went on to cofound Intel Corp.
Another name that might not be commonly known: Henry Kaiser. His work is visible to everyone who visits San Francisco. Kaiser was known as the father of modern shipbuilding and his company helped build the Bay Bridge. The company he founded what has become known as Kaiser Permanente, the country's largest HMO.
The inductions will take place at the Sacramento Museum.
