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Former UPS General Counsel Joseph R. Moderow Honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
Two Georgia 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 Joseph R. Moderow, senior vice president, general counsel and board member (retired) of United Parcel Service, 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 high school seniors from Georgia will join Moderow in Washington to be honored as Horatio Alger National Scholars.  Horatio Alger National Scholars will receive $20,000 scholarships towards a college education. The students have demonstrated integrity, perseverance in overcoming hardships, strength of character, academic promise, a commitment to pursue higher education, and a desire to contribute to society.   

This year's scholarship recipients from Georgia are: Marcus A. Braswell from Macon and Briyyah A. McClain from Atlanta.

"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 the 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.; Lee E. Mikles, cofounder, president and CEO, FutureFuel Corporation; 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 and reflecting on his own life, Joseph R. Moderow stated, "My path seems to have been not only unusually challenged, but also incredibly blessed. If there's one thing that all I've been through has taught me, it is that a person's life cannot be defined in terms of accomplishments at work or at home, but by the character forged by both the blessings and adversity of living."

Moderow was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1948. On his first birthday, he was stricken with polio, but fortunately he was able to recover with few side effects. During his childhood Moderow's rigid, domineering and verbally abusive father created constant tension in the home, and he was told by his father that he would never amount to anything.  When Moderow was 16, his father refused to speak to him for the remainder of his life.  In spite of the criticism, Moderow was determined to amount to something and became the first in his family to attend college.  He attended the tuition-free California State University at Fullerton (CSUF), and in 1968 he began working at United Parcel Service (UPS) as a package unloader and sorter. In 1970, he began a six-year stint in the Army National Guard during the Vietnam War. 

During his 35-year career at UPS, Moderow held various management assignments and was privileged to serve during the first two years of the Reagan Administration as Presidential Exchange Executive at the U.S. Department of Labor. He completed his career at UPS with primary corporate responsibility for the legal, government affairs and public affairs. He served as General Counsel to four UPS Chairmen and CEOs and was a member of the UPS Board of Directors from 1988-2004.

Today, Moderow and his wife of 38 years, Karen, assist young people through education, training and health initiatives. Moderow serves on the boards of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Shepherd Hospital, the Brain Injury Resource Foundation, and the Haggai Leadership Institute. He is dedicated to the advance of the rule of law as a Trustee of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society and advocates for ethics in corporate governance at the CSUF business 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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