Exceptional Business, Civic and Cultural Leaders Honored with Prestigious 2018 Horatio Alger Award

Horatio Alger Association annually recognizes esteemed leaders across professional fields who have overcome significant adversities to achieve success

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Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

Dec 05, 2017, 08:29 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 2018 Horatio Alger Award. Bestowed annually upon accomplished corporate, civic and cultural leaders from across the country and Canada, all of whom have succeeded despite facing challenges, this award recognizes the new Members' ongoing commitment to higher education and their generosity in giving back.

Horatio Alger Association will honor the following 12 individuals, all embodying the Association's core values of perseverance, integrity and a commitment to excellence, with lifetime membership into the organization:

Gregory E. Abel, chairman, president and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Ronald M. Bergeron Sr., founder and CEO, Bergeron Land Development, Inc., Bergeron Family of Companies and Bergeron Properties & Investment Corp.
Don R. Daseke, founder, chairman, president and CEO, Daseke, Inc.
Alphonso R. Jackson, CEO, A.R. Jackson Advisors LLC and 13^th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
David Johnston, chair, Rideau Hall Foundation and 28^th Governor General of Canada
Larry Lawson, founder and CEO, HeartcoR Solutions
Jimmy John Liautaud, owner, founder and chairman, Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches
Rob Lowe, film and television actor, producer, writer, director and New York Times best-selling author
Reba McEntire, multi-media entertainer and entrepreneur
James H. Pugh, Jr., CEO, owner and chairman, Epoch Residential
Ernest S. Rady, founder, executive chairman of the board, president and CEO, American Assets Trust, Inc. and founder and executive chairman, ICW Group Insurance Companies
H. Lee Scott, Jr., former president, CEO and chairman of the executive committee, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

"For more than 70 years, the Association has celebrated individuals from diverse personal and professional backgrounds who have triumphed over adversity," said Byron Trott, chairman, Horatio Alger Association and 2011 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "The 12 honorees who will be inducted as Members in 2018 exemplify the rich heritage of the Association. My fellow Members and I are pleased to welcome these outstanding leaders into the organization and we are certain each 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 students who are committed to pursuing higher education and serving their communities. 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 $125 million to more than 25,000 students in need. Scholarships are privately funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends of the organization.

"Supporting the dreams of deserving students across the country is at the heart of the Association's mission," said Matthew Rose, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "I am honored to stand with these new Members as they commit their time, talents and resources to mentor our Scholars and create opportunities for their continued growth."

The 2018 Horatio Alger Award recipients will be formally inducted into the Association on April 5-7, 2018, during the Association's 71^st 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 2018, 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 2017, the Association awarded more than $18 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada, and also provided college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $125 million in college scholarships to more than 25,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:
McKenna Young
484-385-2913 (office)
[email protected]

SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.