13 Exceptional Corporate and Philanthropic Leaders to be Presented with the Prestigious Horatio Alger Award

With a strong 2016 class of new Members, Horatio Alger Association continues its tradition of annually recognizing esteemed leaders, across industries, who have overcome significant adversities to achieve great success

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Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

Dec 02, 2015, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced the recipients of its 2016 Horatio Alger Award. The annual award is bestowed upon outstanding business, civic and cultural leaders who have succeeded despite facing significant adversity, and who are committed to philanthropy and higher education.

Horatio Alger Association will honor the following 13 individuals, all of whom have demonstrated a strong work ethic, honesty and determination on their road to personal and professional success, with lifetime membership into the organization:

Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, president and CEO, Cleveland Clinic
Mark Davis, chairman, Davis Family Holdings
Harold Hamm, founder, chairman and CEO, Continental Resources
Ronald G. Harrington, chairman, BioMotiv/Harrington Project
James A. "Jim" Haslam II, founder, Pilot Travel Centers
Jeong H. Kim, executive chairman and co-founder, Kiswe Mobile Inc.
Harvey Massey, chairman and CEO, Massey Services Inc.
Linda Rabbitt, founder, chairman and CEO, rand* construction corporation
Virginia "Ginni" Rometty, chairman, president and CEO, IBM
T. Denny Sanford, chairman of the board, United National Corporation
Gerald Schwartz, CEO, Onex
Michael Shannon, chairman, KSL Capital Partners, LLC
Kelcy Warren, chairman, Energy Transfer Equity and chairman, CEO, Energy Transfer Partners

"Horatio Alger Association was established to inform Americans that opportunity abounds through the American free-enterprise system and through higher education," said Tony Novelly, chairman, Horatio Alger Association and 2000 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "For nearly 70 years, we have conferred recognition on individuals from diverse personal and professional backgrounds who have triumphed over serious adversity. The 2016 new Member class is an exceptional group of men and women who have achieved great success through hard work and perseverance. I am certain that these individuals will make outstanding contributions to the Association and will serve as wonderful role models for our Scholars."

Through its Members, Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system. To further this goal, the organization awards scholarships to outstanding high school students who are committed to pursuing higher education and giving back to their communities. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced numerous challenges, but have also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming them. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $110 million to students in need. Scholarships are funded solely through the generosity of Association Members, Life Partners and friends.

"Supporting the dreams of deserving students across this great country is at the heart of the Horatio Alger Association," said Byron Trott, president and CEO, Horatio Alger Association and 2011 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "Reflecting the achievement of the American Dream, our 2016 new Members have selflessly chosen to dedicate their time, energy and resources to the next generation of great leaders – our Scholars. Horatio Alger Scholars have dealt with more hardships in their young lives than most deal with in a lifetime. Yet somehow, through their will to succeed, these young men and women overcome their respective challenges and emerge as stronger people. I am proud to welcome this new class of Members who will continue to support our Scholars as they pursue their dreams of higher education."

The 2016 Horatio Alger Award recipients will be formally inducted into the Association on March 31-April 2, 2016, during the Association's 69^th Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The annual three-day event honors the achievements of both Members and National Scholars, affording both groups the opportunity to meet and interact, exchanging stories of hardships, triumphs and successes.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its Member Class of 2016, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity and pursue their dreams through higher education. Thanks to their generosity, the Association awards more than $11 million annually in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada and provides college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $110 million in college scholarships to more than 22,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.