Elizabeth Taylor,
Rita Moreno, Tiger Woods, and Willie Mays are among the
new crop of achievers inducted into the California Hall of
Fame, which honors the leaders, inventors, sports
figures, and celebrities who have shaped California.
Taylor canceled
because of a fall, but Moreno, Woods, and Mays accepted
their awards in person Wednesday at the California Museum
near the state capitol.
Woods said he was
moved to be able to introduce Mays, who had been an
idol of his father.
''Jackie Robinson
changed the face of baseball, but Willie Mays changed
the way the game was played,'' Woods said at the ceremony.
''He was speed and power, grace and strength, guile
and athleticism, excitement and style and cool -- all
in one package.''
Others, including
Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier, and John
Wayne, were honored posthumously. Robinson's widow, Rachel,
accepted the award on his behalf, and Wayne's son
Patrick accepted his award.
Some of this
year's honorees have only tangential ties to the state. Dr.
Jonas Salk, for example, developed his polio vaccine in
Pennsylvania, a decade before he founded the Salk
Institute in San Diego.
But others played
major roles in the state's history. Earl Warren was the
only California governor to be elected three times. He later
became chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The San
Francisco-born Ansel Adams took wilderness
photographs of such arresting beauty that they helped
move Congress to create national parks in California.
Another honoree,
Steve Jobs, played an important role in the creation of
Silicon Valley as the cofounder of Apple Inc.
Robert Mondavi,
who also got a place in the hall of fame, pioneered
wine-making techniques in California and the export of its
fine wine.
John Steinbeck
and Milton Berle were also honored.
The California
Hall of Fame began last year with the induction of Ronald
Reagan, Cesar Chavez, Walt Disney, Clint Eastwood,
Billie Jean King, and others. (AP)