14 Respected Business, Civic and Cultural Leaders Honored with Prestigious 2020 Horatio Alger Award

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2019 /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 2020 Horatio Alger Award. Bestowed annually upon accomplished corporate, civic and cultural leaders from across North America, all of whom have succeeded despite facing challenges, this award recognizes the new Members' ongoing commitment to higher education and their generosity to myriad philanthropic endeavors.

Horatio Alger Association will honor the following 14 individuals, all embodying the Association's core values of perseverance, integrity and a commitment to excellence, with lifetime membership into the organization:

• James R. Andrews, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon, Andrews Institute
• Arthur J. Falcone, CEO and chairman, Falcone Group; co-founder and managing principal, Encore Capital Management
• Mario J. Gabelli, chairman and CEO, GAMCO Investors, Inc.
• Christiane Germain, C.M., C.Q., co-founder and co-president, Germain Hotels
• Stedman Graham, chairman and CEO, S. Graham & Associates
• Robert A. McDonald, 8th Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Retired Chairman, President and CEO, The Procter & Gamble Company
• Steven S Reinemund, retired Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
• Horacio D. Rozanski, president and CEO, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
• G. Brint Ryan, founder, chairman and CEO, Ryan, LLC
• Walter Schroeder, founder, DBRS Ltd.
• Jane Seymour, actress, artist, producer and philanthropist, Jane Seymour Designs and Open Hearts Foundation
• David A. Thompson, president and CEO, TEC Equipment, Inc.
• Ronald G. Wanek, founder and chairman of the board, Ashley Furniture Ind.
• George A. Weiss, chief executive officer, Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers LLC

"Each year, our Association grows stronger and stronger by inducting new Members who are committed to positively impacting the lives of thousands of students across the United States and Canada," said Matthew Rose, chairman, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "The recipients of the 2020 Horatio Alger Award recognize the great privilege – and great responsibility – that comes with being a Member of this organization, and we're confident they will use their life experiences to connect with and inspire our Scholars."

Thanks to the generosity of its Members, the Association awards need-based scholarships to outstanding high school students who are committed to pursuing higher education and giving back to their communities. The Association also educates young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system through hard work, honesty and determination. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced significant adversities, but each has also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming their respective challenges. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $180 million to more than 27,000 students in need. Scholarships are privately funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends of the organization.

"We honor and celebrate the stories of these 14 men and women from all walks of life who have taken their adversity and used it to fuel their dreams," said James F. Dicke II, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "Since the Association was established 73 years ago, our Members have demonstrated to our Scholars the endless possibilities that exist when you choose to chase your dreams. We look forward to welcoming these outstanding individuals into our organization."

The 2020 Horatio Alger Award recipients will be formally inducted into the Association on April 2-4, 2020, during the Association's 73^rd 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 as well as exchange stories of hardships and triumphs.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its Member Class of 2020, please visit www.horatioalger.org and/or follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #HoratioAlgerAward.

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 in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2019, the Association awarded more than $21 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to 2,500 students across the United States and Canada, and provided college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $180 million in college scholarships to more than 27,000 deserving students. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT: 
Carly Buggy 
484-385-2934 (office) 
[email protected]

SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.