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Condoleezza Rice Named 2010 Horatio Alger Award Recipient
Former Secretary of State 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 Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State and current Stanford University Professor, will receive the 2010 Horatio Alger Award in recognition of her extraordinary personal and professional successes.

Rice will be formally inducted into the association when she 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 Condoleezza Rice’s story is no exception. Rice’s life story of strength, resolve and achievement is commendable, and she will help continue our mission of helping other young people achieve similar success.”

Rice was born in 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama. Growing up in the segregated South, Rice suffered discrimination many times in her youth, even losing a friend who was killed in a church bombing by white supremacists. When she was 13, Rice and her parents moved to Denver, Colorado, where she explored her love of music and aspired to become a concert pianist. Rice later changed her direction when she enrolled an international politics course that influenced her decision to major in political science at the University of Denver. In 1974, at age 19, Rice earned her bachelor’s degree. The following year, she earned her master’s in political science from the University of Notre Dame, and in 1981, she received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Denver.

In 1987, Rice became an assistant professor of political science at Stanford University, a post she held until 1993. After the presidential election of George H.W. Bush, Rice was appointed to the National Security Council. She returned to Stanford in 1991, and within two years, she was appointed Stanford’s Provost. During George W. Bush’s run for the presidency, she took a year off from Stanford to serve as his foreign policy advisor. After his election in 2000, she was named National Security Advisor, the first woman to occupy the post. From 2005 to 2009, Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State.

Currently, Rice is a professor of political science, and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Rice 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
• Alan B. Miller, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Universal Health Services, Inc.
• 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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