Only In America: Opportunity Still Knocks (2015 Horatio Alger Awards)

223 Pages·2015·4.18 MB·English

O O N L Y I N A M E R I C A
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OPPORTUNITY STILL KNOCKS
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68th Annual Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies

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2 0 1 5 H o r a t i o A l g e r Aw a r d Wi n n e r s n

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Charles C. Anderson, Sr. Elizabeth Holmes
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Leon G. Cooperman Gilbert Edward LeVasseur, Jr. e
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James F. Dicke II James J. Maguire, Sr. i
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Serge Godin David C. Novak
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Edmund A. Hajim Frank L. VanderSloot p
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Bruce T. Halle Jordan Zimmerman
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2 H O R A T I O A L G E R A W A R D S
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Ensuring the American Dream
for Future Generations
Only in America
Opportunity Still Knocks
2015 Horatio Alger Awards
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HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS INC
99 , , 22314
CANAL CENTER PLAZA ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA
[phone]
www.horatioalger.org

Copyright 2015 by the Horatio Alger
Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number
88-647241
ISBN 0-912-081-09-0
Contents
Horatio Alger Association Class of 2005
Profile 3 Buzz Aldrin 130
Colleen C. Barrett 131
2015 Horatio Alger Dean A. Cortopassi 132
Dominic D'Alessandro 133
Award Winners 11
Sam Fox 134
Ebby Halliday 135
Charles C. Anderson, Sr. 12
James W. Keyes 136
Leon G. Cooperman 18
Ronald M. Simon 137
James F. Dicke II 24
David W. Wilson 138
Serge Godin 30
Michael B. Yanney 139
Edmund A. Hajim 36

Bruce T. Halle 42
Elizabeth Holmes 48 Anniversary Class Tributes 140
Gilbert Edward LeVasseur, Jr. 54
Horatio Alger Association of
James J. Maguire, Sr. 60
David C. Novak 66 Distinguished Americans, Inc.
Frank L. VanderSloot 72
Jordan Zimmerman 78 Board of Directors 144
Endowment Fund Board
2015 Horatio Alger of Directors 152
Board of Directors
National Scholars 86
Canada 153
Strategic Directions
Anniversary Classes 115
Committee 154
Class Coordinators 155
Class of 1965
Legacy of Achievement 156
Billy Graham 116
President’s Club 160
Founder’s Club 160
Class of 1975
Vincent G. Marotta 117 Chairman’s Club 163
George Shinn 118 State Scholarships 166
Specialized Scholarships 167
Class of 1985 Canadian Scholarships 167
Rodrique Mortel 119
Hicks B. Waldron 120 Association Members &
National Scholars
Class of 1995
Herbert F. Boeckmann II 121 Association Members 170
Jerry E. Dempsey 122 National Scholars by State 190
Joe L. Dudley, Sr. 123 National Scholars in Tribute 213
Quincy Jones 124
Dee J. Kelly 125 Horatio Alger Association 214
John Pappajohn 126
Don Shula 127
Monroe E. Trout 128
Dennis R. Washington 129
2015 ONLY IN AMERICA 1
Envisioning the
possibilities.
T h e H o r a t i o A l g e r Aw a r d
Ensuring the American Dream for Future Generations
It all began in 1947, when educator Kenneth Beebe and spiritual leader Norman Vincent Peale felt that
American youth needed a better understanding of the opportunities that abound in America because of
free enterprise and the common belief that anyone willing to work hard and persevere through difficult
challenges can achieve real success. And what better way to perpetuate faith in those ideals with young
people than to present them with real-life examples of Americans who had reached the pinnacle of
success through their own wit, will, and determination. The Horatio Alger Award epitomizes the
American Dream. The award, and those who are recipients of it, serve as symbols of all that can be
achieved through self-reliance, diligence, and preparedness for opportunities.
In 2003, the Horatio Alger Association extended it activities beyond the boundaries of the United States
when it bestowed the first International Horatio Alger Award on a Canadian citizen. With its free-
enterprise economy, Canada shares many of the same ideals as the United States—especially those of
self-determination through one’s personal efforts and a belief that free enterprise creates limitless
opportunities. Similar to the Association’s American scholarship programs, the Horatio Alger Association
of Canada sponsors a growing number of scholarships for deserving young people seeking a better future
for themselves.
In the 68 years since its founding, the Horatio Alger Association has inducted more than 700 men and
women who hail from all realms of enterprise: science, medicine, business, entertainment, sports, law
and jurisprudence, religion, education, and the arts. Collectively, their life stories tell of daunting
challenges and humble beginnings, but their stories don’t end in defeat. Instead, they reveal common-
held traits of integrity, determination, positive thinking, a thirst for knowledge, and a vision of success.
Horatio Alger Members’ stories are motivating and inspiring to all of us, but especially to young people
who have experienced challenging circumstances early in life. The Horatio Alger Scholarship Program
has helped thousands of young men and women earn college degrees—their first step toward a brighter,
more promising future.
This book, Only in America, introduces the Class of 2015, and tells the life stories of 11 Americans and
one Canadian who never gave up on their dreams. They planned, they worked, they listened and
learned, and they achieved. They serve as role models of what can be accomplished through strength,
tenacity, and unyielding passion for all that the world has to offer for those who dare to dream.
2015 n ASSOCIATION PROFILE
Presenting the Class of 2015: Serge Godin
2015 International Horatio Alger Award Recipient (Canada)
Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board
Charles C. Anderson, Sr. CGI
Chairman Emeritus Serge Godin, the fourth of nine children, was born in 1949 in the
Anderson Companies village of Shipshaw, Quebec. The large family was close-knit and
Charles Anderson was born in 1934, in Florence, Alabama, where supportive. When his father’s lumber mill burned to the ground when
his father ran a newsstand. By age five, Charles happily joined his Serge was 16, all the children pitched in and worked to rebuild the
parents in the family business. Entrepreneurial in spirit, at the age of business. Serge was interested in learning computer technology, but
12 he had a newspaper route, mowed lawns, and sold fireworks his prospects for a college education were uncertain in the aftermath
from a stall he set up on his own. By the time he was 21, he was of the fire. He obtained the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in
married, had a child, and owned a home. He earned a degree in management, and then undertook partial studies in the master of
business from the University of North Alabama, and then bought business administration (M.B.A.) program at the Université Laval in
one-third of his father’s business. From two newsstands and three Quebec City. He worked for six years as an IT consultant, until 1976,
wholesale trucks, Mr. Anderson quickly expanded the company. He when at the age of 26 he founded CGI, an IT business process services
established Books-A-Million, Inc. (the second largest bookstore chain company. Today, after 75 acquisitions, CGI, with 68,000 professionals
in the nation), as well as Anderson Media (one of the largest in more than 40 countries, is the fifth-largest firm of its kind in the
distributors and merchandisers of music), TNT Fireworks (the largest world.
distributor and merchandiser of fireworks in the U.S.), and Anderson
Press. Mr. Anderson now serves as chairman emeritus. His four sons Edmund A. Hajim
all serve as CEOs of the ever-expanding Anderson Companies. President
Diker Management LLC
Leon G. Cooperman Edmund “Ed” Hajim was born in 1936 in Los Angeles, California. His
parents were Syrian immigrants. When he was three, Ed was told his
Founder, Chairman and CEO
mother had died. He lived with his father, who had trouble finding
Omega Advisors, Inc.
work. Finally, when Ed was five, his father joined the merchant marines
Leon “Lee” Cooperman, the son of Polish immigrants, was born in
and Ed was placed in foster care. He was reunited with his father when
1943 in the South Bronx of New York City. His hardworking father, a
he was 10, only to be put permanently into an orphanage at the age of
plumber by trade, taught him about the importance of generosity and
15. A strong student and hard worker, Ed earned an ROTC naval
acts of kindness. An industrious young man, Lee worked in a fruit plant,
scholarship. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from the
a tire shop, and was a theater usher—a job that paid 55 cents an hour.
University of Rochester. After his service in the Navy ended in 1961, he
He became the first member of his family to attain higher education
earned his M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.
when he graduated from City University of New York’s Hunter College
Following a successful career in senior management with Lehman
with a degree in economics. He earned his M.B.A. from Columbia
Brothers, Furman Selz LLC, ING Barings Americas, and ING Aeltus, he
Business School. He joined Goldman, Sachs & Co., and spent his first
started his own investment partnerships. He has served as president of
22 years in the Investment Research Department, ultimately serving as
Diker Management since 2009.
partner-in-charge and as co-chairman of the Investment Policy
Committee and chairman of the Stock Selection Committee. In 1991,
Bruce T. Halle
he launched Omega Advisors, Inc., a New York-based investment
Founder and Chairman of the Board
advisory firm that manages more than $9 billion in assets.
Discount Tire
James F. Dicke II Bruce Halle was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1930, the second
of seven children. During the Depression, the family moved to Berlin,
Chairman-CEO
New Hampshire, where Bruce’s father worked as a firefighter. When he
Crown Equipment Corporation
was 12, the family moved to Detroit, where Bruce’s father had a job as a
James “Jim” Dicke was born in 1945 in San Angelo, Texas, but raised in
security guard. Bruce worked as a teenager at a drugstore and also on
his parents’ hometown of New Bremen, Ohio. Jim’s father had a small
the production line at Ford. He served with the Marines during the
machining shop, and impressed his young son with his work ethic and
Korean War, and then worked his way through college selling cars. He
common sense. Jim’s odd jobs in his youth included working in a print
graduated in 1956 from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in
shop, a soda fountain, building fences, and sweeping factory floors. He
business. Four years later, he opened a tire store in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
enjoyed the academic side of school, but he was bullied for five years. At
and slowly built his business literally one tire at a time. Fifty-four years
the age of 12, he went away to a military boarding school. That took care
later, Discount Tire, now headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the
of the bullying and freed Jim to excel in his studies. In 1968, he became
largest independent tire company in the world with 900 stores in 28
the first member of his family to graduate college, earning a degree in
states and sales that exceed $4.2 billion.
business and economics from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He
joined his father’s business and three years later, after his father retired, he
began making big changes. Today Crown Equipment is the fifth-largest
manufacturer of forklifts in the world with 15,000 employees and $2.6
billion in annual sales.
4 2015 ONLY IN AMERICA
ASSOCIATION PROFILE n 2015
Elizabeth Holmes David C. Novak
Founder and CEO Executive Chairman
Theranos Yum! Brands, Inc.
Elizabeth Holmes was born in 1984 in Washington, D.C. Both her David Novak was born in 1952 in Beeville, Texas. His father worked
parents worked in public service, and Elizabeth decided at an early age as a surveyor, and the family, living in a transportable trailer, moved
she wanted to make a positive difference with her life. While living in from one town to the next over a 12-year period, giving David the
China during her high school years, she developed a small business that ability to say that he lived in 32 trailer parks in 23 states. The Novaks
sold C++ compilers to Chinese universities. She attended Stanford finally settled permanently in Kansas City, Missouri, and David worked
University, where she was named a President’s Scholar and earned a at odd jobs, including selling encyclopedias door to door. The first in
$3,000 stipend for a research project. At the age of 19, she decided she his family to attend college, David graduated from the University of
was ready to pursue her ideas for a business. She used the money her Missouri with a degree in journalism in 1974. He began his corporate
parents had saved for her college education to launch Theranos. Her climb in a series of marketing positions, eventually becoming chief
concept of using just a few drops of blood to quickly process the full operating officer of Pepsi-Cola, then CEO of KFC U.S., and later CEO
range of laboratory tests allows for early detection and prevention at of both KFC and Pizza Hut U.S. He became CEO of Yum! Brands in
affordable rates and will be made available through Theranos Wellness 1999, adding chairman to his title in 2000. He became executive
Centers opening nationwide. Listed as a coinventor on more than 320 chairman in 2015. Yum! Is one of the world’s largest restaurant
patent applications, Elizabeth Holmes is the youngest self-made female companies and includes KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
billionaire on the Forbes 400 list.
Frank L. VanderSloot
Gilbert Edward LeVasseur, Jr. CEO
Chairman and CEO Melaleuca, Inc.
LeVasseur Capital Partners, LLC Frank VanderSloot, the third of four children, was born in 1948 in
Gilbert “Gil” LeVasseur, the oldest of three children, was born in Billings, Montana, but moved a year later with his family to an 80-
Washington, D.C., in 1944, but raised in Los Angeles, California. His acre farm in northern Idaho. By age 12, Frank managed the farm’s
father worked two jobs as a milkman and woodworker. At times his two daily affairs. He raised crops, fed cattle, milked cows, cared for
aunts and their children lived with them, putting further demands on the chickens, and chopped wood for the stove. He served a two-and-a-
already tight household budget. Gil began working at the age of 10, half-year mission in the Netherlands for the Church of Jesus Christ of
mowing lawns and cleaning windows. At the age of 14, he was a night Latter-day Saints, and then with the help of a scholarship he attended
manager for a local gas station. The first in his family to graduate college, Brigham Young University. He graduated with a degree in business in
he received his degree in finance from the University of California at Los 1972. After serving two vice presidencies for Automated Data
Angeles. He earned a master’s in finance from the University of Southern Processing and Cox Communications, he founded a health and
California. For the next 25 years, he directed and served as president of a wellness products manufacturing business named Melaleuca. He has
specialty publishing business, which he greatly expanded through led its expansion to 18 countries, has 3,400 employees, and annual
acquisitions. He also developed his own publishing business, which he revenues of $1.2 billion. Under Mr. VanderSloot’s leadership,
sold in 1990. In 1998, he fulfilled his dream of running his own Melaleuca has been listed five times on Inc.magazine’s list of the
investment firm using his own capital, forming LeVasseur Capital Partners, 500 fastest-growing companies in America.
LLC.
Jordan Zimmerman
James J. Maguire, Sr. Founder and Chairman
Founder and Chairman Emeritus Zimmerman Advertising
Philadelphia Insurance Companies Jordan Zimmerman was born in 1956 in Newark, New Jersey. He
President, Maguire Foundation was eight when he had his first job selling greeting cards door to
James “Jim” Maguire was the fourth of six children, born in 1934 in door. Later he took on a paper route that delivered to more than
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was an insurance salesman, and 450 homes. His exposure to an advertising jingle writer in his
his mother a nurse. Jim began working at age 10 with a paper route, and neighborhood convinced Jordan to pursue advertising as a career.
then caddied when he was older. On the night of his high school He attended the University of South Florida, where he earned a
graduation, Jim experienced a devastating loss when his father degree in mass communications and advertising. While there, his
unexpectedly died from an illness. Jim served in the Army during the team won a national competition for the National Institute on
Korean War, and then worked his way through St. Joseph’s University in Drug Abuse, which resulted in Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No”
Philadelphia. He joined MetLife as a salesman in 1958. Eighteen months campaign. After earning his M.B.A. at the University of South
later, he opened Maguire Insurance Agency, which quickly expanded, Florida, he opened the Zimmerman Advertising Agency in a strip
becoming Philadelphia Insurance Companies in 1987. Eventually the mall. Today, his firm is the 14th largest in the world with billings
company grew to 1,600 employees in 50 offices. Today, he heads the in excess of $3 billion; it serves clients such as AutoNation,
Maguire Foundation, which primarily focuses on education, and awards Michaels, Dunkin’ Donuts, hhgregg, Office Depot, Papa John’s,
more than 1,000 scholarships a year to children in need at 16 Party City, Boston Market, and Nissan, among others.
elementary schools, 24 high schools, and 23 universities in the Mid-
Atlantic States.
2015 ONLY IN AMERICA 5