Sinatra's NJ birthplace commemorates his 100th its way
Throughout 2015, Hoboken has remembered its native son, who died in 1998 at age 82, with outdoor screenings of his movies, a "Sinatra Idol" competition and concerts that will be capped by a centennial birthday bash on Dec. 12 at the Stevens Institute of Technology, which awarded the high school dropout an honorary degree in 1985.
The small-scale event is not generating the same buzz as "Sinatra 100 — An All-Star Grammy Concert" on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas, featuring Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and other performers.
[...] the Hoboken Historical Museum has seen a 300 percent jump in visitors since opening a Sinatra exhibit in early August and has hired extra staff, director Robert Foster said.
Lacking any major items that belonged to Sinatra, the museum tells his story through media displays and visitors receive a map with their $4 admission that features Sinatra sites.
[...] some Hoboken residents felt Sinatra had forgotten them, reflected in the reception he got when he rode on a float in a 1947 parade and was pelted with tomatoes, according to biographer Ed Shirak.