Sacramento, CA…Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown joined the California Museum to award the Spirit of California medal to eight Californians inducted into the California Hall of Fame this evening.

This year’s inductees include: acclaimed author Isabel Allende; film icon Harrison Ford; baseball legend Tony Gwynn; distinguished artist and social justice advocate Corita Kent; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and nuclear deterrence expert William J. Perry; groundbreaking journalist and former First Lady of California Maria Shriver; music business pioneer Russ Solomon; and celebrated actor and activist George Takei.

“This year’s inductees represent the latest of an endless series of geniuses and creators,” said Governor Brown. “Tonight, we celebrate achievement, vision and the artistic.”

Inductees and family members of posthumous inductees received the Spirit of California medal from the Governor and First Lady in the official state ceremony this evening at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento. This year marks the 10th annual award ceremony.

In addition to the ceremony, inductees will be commemorated with an exhibition of artifacts highlighting their lives and achievements, which opens to the public at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, December 1 at the California Museum.

This year’s recipients join 96 Californians previously inducted into the California Hall of Fame for making remarkable achievements across a variety of California industries and areas of influence, including science, philanthropy, sports, business, entertainment, literature, technology, activism and politics.

For more information on the California Hall of Fame, please visit http://www.CaliforniaMuseum.org/california-hall-fame.

Photo Credit: Joe McHugh, California Highway Patrol.