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FutureFuel Corporation Cofounder, President and CEO Lee E. Mikles Honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
Two Arizona High School Scholars Also Recognized With $20,000 Scholarship

Washington, DC – (March 6, 2008) –The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is proud to announce that Lee E. Mikles, cofounder, president and CEO of FutureFuel Corporation, will be presented with the 2008 Horatio Alger Award and inducted as a lifetime member of the Association during ceremonies in Washington, DC, April 3-5, 2008.
  
The Association is equally proud to announce two student scholars from Arizona will join Mikles in Washington to be honored as Horatio Alger National Scholars.  Horatio Alger National Scholars will receive $20,000 scholarships toward a college education. The students have demonstrated integrity, perseverance in overcoming hardships, strength of character, strong academics, commitment to pursue a higher education and a desire to contribute to society.   

This year's scholarship recipients from Arizona are Colin J. Darland from Phoenix and Kelsey E. McKinney from Chandler.

"Our 2008 members are a diverse group of individuals who serve as extraordinary role models for our nation's most ambitious youth. Each of them has leveraged hard work, courage and determination to overcome extreme adversity and achieve the American Dream of achievement and success," said Horatio Alger Association Chairman Dennis R. Washington. "For over 60 years, the Association has been dedicated to honoring those that have defied the odds.  We are proud to continue that tradition this year."

The 61st annual events will take place in various historic landmarks in our nation's capital such as the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Department of State and DAR Constitution Hall.  The events will provide an opportunity for some of the nation's most impressive and determined young people to learn firsthand about the philosophies and experiences that helped their fellow 2008 Horatio Alger Award recipients surmount significant obstacles to achieve successful lives.

Also being inducted in April are William F. Austin, CEO, Starkey Laboratories Inc; J. Robert Beyster, retired chairman and CEO, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC); Gary P. Brinson, founder and chairman, The Brinson Foundation; Joseph "Joe" Clark, chairman, Aviation Partners Boeing and chairman and CEO, Aviation Partners Inc.; Hadi Makarechian, chairman and CEO, Capital Pacific Holdings, Inc.; G. Wallace F. McCain, cofounder and vice chairman, McCain Foods Limited and chairman, Maple Leaf Foods Inc.; Joseph R. Moderow, senior vice president, general counsel and board member (retired), United Parcel Service; Aulana L. Peters, retired partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Robert J. Schlegel, chairman and CEO, Pavestone Company, L.P.

In response to receiving the Horatio Alger Award, Lee E. Mikles stated, "I am grateful to become a part of this Association. Its existence proves that the American Dream is alive and well. The opportunity to excel is only restricted by your own imagination and desire to succeed. It is not important where you are, only the direction in which you are headed."

Mikles was born in 1955 to a young unwed mother in Heber Springs, Arkansas who felt unable to provide for her infant and put him up for adoption. He was a ward of the state of Arkansas until age three, when he was adopted by a couple from California.  Mikles began seeking ways to stay away from home as his adoptive father increasingly abused alcohol and took out his frustrations on him and his new mother. At age ten, Mikles taught himself to play golf, and in 1973, he accepted a full college scholarship to play golf at Arizona State University.  In his senior year, he was named a First Team All American, played on the U.S. Walker Cup team, and won the California State Amateur Championship. Prior to starting a career in finance, Mikles played golf for three years on the PGA tour.

From 1981 to 1989, Mikles was a first vice president with Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc.  While there, he formed KCM Equities and became a co-general partner of several joint ventures with the parent company, DBL Group, Inc.  In 1992, he was a founding partner of Mikles/Miller Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor, and Mikles/Miller Securities, LLC, a broker/dealer firm.  In 2005, he cofounded and became president and CEO of FutureFuel Corporation, a chemical and biodiesel concern with headquarters in Clayton, Missouri. FutureFuel is one of the leading producers of biofuels in the United States.

Committed to helping others, Mikles and his wife, Lori, established the Make It Possible Foundation in 2001. Similar to the Horatio Alger Association, the Mikles' foundation supports college scholarships for students that have faced adversity. Over the last six years, the Make It Possible Foundation has assisted dozens of students in their pursuit of higher education.  Additionally, the Mikles have provided generous support for Habitat for Humanity and Autism Speaks, as well as establishing scholarships at Bishop Garcia Diego High School and endowing the Mikles Gallery at the Laguna Blanca School.

About The Horatio Alger Association

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. The Horatio Alger Association offers scholarships through three annual programs: the National Scholarship Program, State Scholarship Programs for high school seniors and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. The Association now awards more than $12 million annually in college scholarships, totaling $52 million in recent years. For more information about the scholarships, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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