By MADDY VITALE
Sometimes, star power isn’t enough. And in the case of the Ocean View rest stop on the Garden State Parkway, Cape May County officials would like to rename it to memorialize a local Civil War hero, rather than keeping the state-approved name in honor of actor Bruce Willis.
In February, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which oversees the Garden State Parkway, announced that the service plaza would be named in honor of Willis.
County officials sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy urging him to consider Civil War hero Sgt. Andrew Tomlin for the honor instead.
The sign honoring Willis went up shortly thereafter for the many motorists to see as well as travelers who stop in the service plaza for fuel, a break or snacks.
“The county has yet to receive any correspondences on behalf of the highway authority, nor the governor’s office,” Assistant County Administrator Ron Simone said Thursday of the county awaiting word on if the state officials are reconsidering.
The hope is certainly that the plaza will be renamed in memory of Tomlin, Simone emphasized.
“The county is disappointed that we haven’t received a response,” he said.
Tom Feeney, spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, did not respond to emails seeking comment about the county’s request to name the plaza in memory of Tomlin.
In March, Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio sent athe letter to Murphy asking him to consider naming the plaza after Tomlin, who was a Medal of Honor recipient from the Goshen section of Cape May County.
“By honoring this local hero, we can ensure that his legacy continues to inspire future generations and reminds all of us of the true meaning of service and sacrifice,” Desiderio said in March.
During Tomlin’s service in the Civil War, he fought in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. He also served on the USS Wabash during the Fort Fisher assault as one of 200 marines assembled to hold the line entrenchments in the rear of the fort. Then-Cpl. Tomlin refused to retreat in the face of enemy fire and remained in his position throughout the night until relief troops arrived, county officials said in a news release in March.
But while the county wants to recognize the great accomplishments and bravery of a late county resident, Desiderio pointed out in March that Willis is certainly a talented, accomplished actor. But county officials strongly feel that it would be more fitting to honor a war hero who was from the county.
Willis has ties to Salem County, not Cape May County, officials have said. Before achieving stardom on the TV show “Moonlighting” and in the “Die Hard” action movies franchise, he grew up in Carneys Point in Salem County. He attended Penns Grove High School.
His film career came to an end in 2023 when his family announced that the 69-year-old actor was diagnosed with a form of dementia.
Before the state chose Willis for the service plaza name, the honor was proposed for late novelist Toni Morrison. However, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority was unable to get permission from her estate.
