Both a champion for revitalizing his New Jersey community and a creative entrepreneur with a pioneering spirit, Imperatore ignored skeptics who derided his vision of a mass transit system to achieve his dreams. Today, his ferry system has done much more than transport nearly 300 million people, having evacuated more than 150,000 people from Manhattan on 9/11 and rescued 143 people from Flight 1547 during the Miracle on the Hudson.

True to his NJHOF Induction Speech in 2017 when he reflected on telling God he had “a lot left to do,” Imperatore remained active in his roles as a businessman, philanthropist, veteran, and family-man until his passing on November 18, 2020.