West Orange Honors Inspiring Jeopardy! Contestant, Master Bluesman [WATCH]

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Town Council honored two local luminaries – an acclaimed blues musician and an inspiring Jeopardy! contestant – with proclamations at their meeting this week.

Community pride was on full display at the council’s Feb. 10 meeting, which paid tribute to Grammy Award-winning musician Robert Randolph, and Harvey Silikovitz, who appeared on Jeopardy! last spring.

West Orange Communications Officer Joseph Fagan offered some background about Silikovitz and Randolph:

GAME SHOW WINNER – “Mayor Susan McCartney introduced Harvey Silikovitz, who appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! last spring. Silikovitz grew up in West Orange and has been a Manhattan-based litigation lawyer for several decades. He gained national attention after defeating an eight-game champion in final Jeopardy! on the nationally televised program. Following his Jeopardy! success, Silikovitz – who openly lives with Parkinson’s disease – was invited to engage with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and engage in Parkinson’s awareness initiatives. His parents, who are West Orange residents, were present in Council Chambers during the reading of the mayor’s proclamation.”

MASTER BLUESMAN – “Councilwoman Tammy Williams introduced West Orange resident and acclaimed recording artist Robert Randolph, who recently earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Early last spring, Randolph announced he was working on his first solo album, ‘Preacher Kids,’ which was released in June and ultimately brought him his first Grammy win. Having been nominated several times in previous years, 2026 marked a long-awaited moment in the spotlight for the celebrated musician and his inspiring body of work. Due to an unexpected schedule change, Randolph was unable to leave New York City and could not attend the proclamation reading in Council Chambers as originally planned. However, he shared a brief video message with Mayor McCartney and West Orange residents expressing his gratitude for the recognition and his pride in being honored as a member of the West Orange community.”

Watch video footage of the proclamations here, and watch footage of Randolph's acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards here.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.