Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
A native of the Philadelphia area, Ted Hardgrove attended Kings College and then seminary in Manhattan. He was ordained as a Baptist minister and also received his master’s degree in counseling. After working as the director of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program in Union County and the Unified Vailsburg Community Services Organization in Newark, Hardgrove became the president of New Brunswick Tomorrow (NBT), a post he held from 1981 to 1995. He then went to work for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As president of NBT, he worked closely with John Heldrich and Richard Sellars of Johnson & Johnson. He points out the commitment of those involved in redevelopment. Hardgrove explores how redevelopment agencies responded to the needs of the community and how the agencies involved community groups, notably churches, in the process. He discusses how NBT worked with hospitals and public schools. Hardgrove explains how the Hyatt Hotel project led to local employment opportunities. As for Rutgers, he explores the involvement of the administration and the moving of the bookstore downtown. Delving into the structure and functioning of NBT, he explains how it worked with the city government and the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) and responded to the Eagleton Institute’s polls. Other topics touched upon include the concert series, State Theater, attracting retailers, public schools and transferability.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
A native of the Philadelphia area, Ted Hardgrove attended Kings College and then seminary in Manhattan. He was ordained as a Baptist minister and also received his master’s degree in counseling. After working as the director of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program in Union County and the Unified Vailsburg Community Services Organization in Newark, Hardgrove became the president of New Brunswick Tomorrow (NBT), a post he held from 1981 to 1995. He then went to work for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As president of NBT, he worked closely with John Heldrich and Richard Sellars of Johnson & Johnson. He points out the commitment of those involved in redevelopment. Hardgrove explores how redevelopment agencies responded to the needs of the community and how the agencies involved community groups, notably churches, in the process. He discusses how NBT worked with hospitals and public schools. Hardgrove explains how the Hyatt Hotel project led to local employment opportunities. As for Rutgers, he explores the involvement of the administration and the moving of the bookstore downtown. Delving into the structure and functioning of NBT, he explains how it worked with the city government and the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) and responded to the Eagleton Institute’s polls. Other topics touched upon include the concert series, State Theater, attracting retailers, public schools and transferability.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
