Contact: Carrie Blewitt
Qorvis Communications
(202) 683-3216
cblewitt@qorvis.com

Harry S. Patten Named 2011 Horatio Alger Award Recipient
Founder, Chairman and CEO of National Land Partners, LLC to be Inducted this Spring for Overcoming Adversity

WASHINGTON, February 4, 2011 – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is pleased to announce that Harry S. Patten, founder, chairman and CEO of National Land Partners, LLC and Inland Management, will receive the 2011 Horatio Alger Award in recognition of his personal and professional success despite humble and challenging beginnings.

Patten will be formally inducted into the association when he accepts the Horatio Alger Award on April 8, 2011, in Washington, D.C. 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 pleased to induct Harry S. Patten into the Horatio Alger Association and pay tribute to his success in the face of hardship,” said Tony Novelly, president and CEO, Horatio Alger Association. “The 2011 members are extraordinary role models of strength, resolve and achievement and will help to continue our mission of helping young people achieve similar success.”

Harry S. Patten was born in 1936 in North Conway, New Hampshire, where his father was a salesman and a great mentor and his mother was a public health nurse. When Patten was three, his father suffered a crippling back injury that left the family in a tight financial situation. During his teen years, Patten worked at a local farm, as a hotel bellhop, in construction, shoveling snow and selling various products.

Patten attended the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in psychology. He married while in college, and sold Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door to support his family while he continued with his studies. After college, at the age of 24, Patten was offered a distributorship and had 50 salespeople working in six offices. By 1964, Patten was ready to start his own company and Patten Realty Corporation was formed. The business grew through a series of partnerships, which culminated with the Patten Corporation going public in 1985. Eighteen months later, the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1995, Patten sold his stock and launched private property family ventures, including National Land Partners, LLC, National Timber Partners LLC, and Inland Management. During his career, Patten has become the leading buyer and seller of rural, recreational and timber land in America; and today’s family company, which includes his son and two grandsons, has become one of the largest owners of land in the country.

The Patten Family Foundation’s (PFF) philanthropic interests center primarily in the areas of health, education and financial literacy. A particular passion has been supporting Junior Achievement, to educate children about the free-enterprise system. The PFF has generously funded the naming of Finance Park at the JA World Huizenga Center, which educates more than 40,000 students per year. Patten has also given significantly to educational institutions and has been a long-term supporter of Massachusetts General Hospital. Together with his eldest daughter, Andrea, they have written a book called What Kids Need to Succeed, which outlines four foundations of adult achievement: perseverance, hard work, discipline, and giving back to one’s community. The book has been translated in four languages.

Patten will be honored among 11 other remarkable individuals who will receive the 2011 award for their hard work, self-reliance and perseverance:

• Roger Eugene Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News and Chairman,  Fox Television Stations Group
• Anousheh Ansari, Co-Founder and CEO, Prodea Systems, Inc. and Spaceflight Participant, Russian Space Program
• Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York and Founder and Owner,Bloomberg, L.P.
• Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor and Film Producer
• Frederic V. Malek, Founder and Chairman, Thayer Lodging Group
• Josue “Joe” Robles Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
• James E. “Jim” Rohr, Chairman and CEO, PNC Financial Services Group (PNC Bank)
• Glenn Stearns, Chairman and Owner, Stearns Corporation
• Byron David Trott, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, BDT Capital Partners, LLC
• Rick Waugh, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Scotiabank (International Award Recipient–Canada)
• Herbert A. “Herbie” Wertheim, Chairman and CEO, Brain Power, Inc., Chairman, Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation, and Founding Chairman, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Florida International University

In addition, the 2011 Norman Vincent Peale Award will be presented to Doré Energy Corporation President William J. Doré. 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 has been an outstanding leader of the association for more than 40 years. 

The 2011 members will receive their awards at the 2011 Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. 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 programs, and graduate grants. The association will have awarded more than $87 million in scholarships through 2012 to at-risk students determined to earn college degrees. The association is a Combined Federal Campaign participant; # 77062. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org

###