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Alan B. Miller Named 2010 Horatio Alger Award Recipient
Chairman and CEO of Universal Health Services to be Inducted April 2010 in Washington, D.C. for Overcoming Adversity

WASHINGTON, January 13, 2010 –The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is pleased to announce that Alan B. Miller, Chairman and CEO of Universal Health Services Inc., will receive the 2010 Horatio Alger Award in recognition of his personal and professional success despite humble and challenging beginnings.

Miller will be formally inducted into the association when he accepts the Horatio Alger Award on April 9, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Current and past recipients of the award have overcome great adversity to achieve admirable accomplishments, to serve as examples of achieving the American Dream, and to offer countless hours and resources to help others in need.

“We are delighted to induct these individuals into the Horatio Alger Association and to honor their stories of success in the face of significant struggle,” said David L. Sokol, president and CEO of the Horatio Alger Association. “We believe that adversity builds character, and Alan Miller’s story is no exception. Miller’s life story of strength, resolve and achievement is commendable, and he will help continue our mission of helping other young people achieve similar success.”

Miller was born in 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, where his father was a factory worker and his mother worked for a milliner. Beginning at age 13, Miller worked after school as a supermarket delivery boy, and delivered telegrams on the weekends. After working throughout high school, Miller received a basketball scholarship to the University of Utah, and later transferred to the College of William and Mary, which also offered him a basketball scholarship.

While in route to a game in Pennsylvania, Miller was in a nearly fatal car accident. After one month in the hospital and six surgeries, Miller was unable to play competitive basketball. However, he returned to William and Mary and earned a degree in economics, and later an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Miller began his career in the advertising industry and quickly became a rising star. In 1969 Miller was instrumental in creating American Medicorp, which built privately owned hospitals. After losing the company to a hostile takeover, Miller started over in business, creating Universal Health Services in 1978. He began with six employees and built his business to Fortune 500 status. Now one of the nation’s largest healthcare corporations, Universal Health Services owns 150 acute care and psychiatric hospitals and other health facilities with nearly 40,000 employees.

Miller will be honored among 10 other remarkable individuals who will receive the 2010 award for their hard work, self-reliance and perseverance:

• Albert T. Annexstad, Chairman, Federated Insurance Companies
• William Alfred Cook, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cook Group Incorporated
• Tommy Ray Franks, Former Commander-in-Chief, US Central Command, and Chairman, Franks & Associates
• Joseph M. “Jody” Grant, Partner and Senior Advisor, BankCap Partners, and Chairman Emeritus, Texas Capital Bank
• Jenard M. Gross, President, Gross Investments
• Lawrence Mead Higby, CEO (Retired), Vice Chairman and Advisor, Apria Healthcare Group Inc.
• Richard D. Holland, Philanthropist and Chairman (Retired), Rollheiser Holland Kahler Advertising
• Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State, US Department of State, and Provost, Stanford University
• James M. Seneff Jr., Founder and CEO, CNL Financial Group, Inc.
• Earl W. Stafford Sr., Chief Executive Officer, The Wentworth Group LLC, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Stafford Foundation, Inc.

In addition, the 2010 Norman Vincent Peale Award will be presented to Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. The Norman Vincent Peale Award is annually conferred on an association member who has made exceptional humanitarian contributions to society, who has been an active participant in the association, and who continues to exhibit courage, tenacity and integrity in the face of great challenges. The award is named in honor of Dr. Peale, who was an outstanding leader of the association for more than 40 years. 

The 2010 members will receive their awards at the 2010 Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies April 8-10, 2010. Activities include three days of meetings and celebrations in some of the nation’s most historic buildings. The Horatio Alger National Scholars, remarkable high school seniors who have excelled despite adversity, also will  be formally honored during the three-day gathering.

A complete list of all of the Horatio Alger Members can be found at http://www.horatioalger.org/members.cfm.

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 three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program, state scholarship rpograms, and graduate grants. The association awards nearly $7 million annually in college scholarships and has given more than $70 million to deserving students since 1984. The association is a 2009 Combined Federal Campaign participant, ID# 77062. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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