On the recordFebruary 16, 2012
on Saturday, February 11, 2012, New Jersey lost one of its proudest daughters and our country lost one of its brightest stars when Whitney Houston died at the untimely age of 48. Whitney Houston's New Jersey roots run deep. She was born in Newark in 1963. She moved to East Orange at age 4 and attended high school at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell. The daughter of noted gospel singer Cissy Houston, Whitney spent her young life singing in the choir of the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. She never forgot her roots, and even after she became a star, she sometimes returned to New Hope Baptist Church to sing on Easter Sunday. Fittingly, it is at New Hope Baptist Church that Whitney's family and friends will mourn her loss and celebrate her life this Saturday, February 18. Virtually from the moment of the release of her debut album, ``Whitney Houston,'' Whitney was an international superstar. The album spent a record 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts, and it was the first album by a female artist to yield three No. 1 hits. One of those hits, ``The Greatest Love of All,'' became an anthem and a symbol of hope. For all of us who work to make a better world for our children and grandchildren, the song's opening line, ``I believe the children are our future,'' is a constant reminder of our mission. Much more than just a great singer and performer, Whitney was a great patriot and humanitarian.…
