We had the unusually good fortune of attending the 2008 Horatio Alger awards ceremony in Washington D.C., where I was presented with the award by Mike Yanney. Horatio Alger wrote stories about people who rose from “rags to riches,” starting off poor or disadvantaged and ending up as solid and successful members of society. Horatio Alger Association members Mike Yanney and Walter Scott were my sponsors. I met them in Omaha while visiting there in the past to attend meetings of the U.S. Defense Department SAG (Strategic Analysis Group) that I have been a part of for many years.
We left San Diego and arrived in Washington on Wednesday, April 2. On Thursday evening, April 3, the main event of the day was conducted in the Supreme Court chambers, where all the new members were personally presented with their Horatio Alger Association membership medallions by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. There were nine other award recipients. They included Joe Clark of Aviation Partners Boeing; Joe Moderow of UPS; Aulana Peters of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher; and H. Wayne Huizenga, who owns the Miami Dolphins football team. Each of the new members has been very successful in his or her chosen area. Afterwards, we went to the Inaugural Dinner at the Mellon Auditorium, where the National Capital Symphony Orchestra played with some great vocal support. Major General Howard Bromberg, commander of Fort Bliss and the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center, was the featured speaker, and the program was focused on the scholarships given to members of the armed services by the Horatio Alger Association.
On Friday we had a morning meeting with the new Horatio Alger Scholars. This year, 108 high school boys and girls from across the country were selected to become Scholars. All of the Horatio Alger Scholars were awarded $20,000 scholarships as well as receiving Dell laptops. The scholars will be attending the college or university of their own choice with the help of their Horatio Alger scholarships. After the morning meeting, we went to the Diplomatic Rooms of the State Department, where all the Scholars and old and new members had lunch and heard presentations by the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. The Horatio Alger award bust was presented to me at a spectacular event at DAR Constitution Hall Friday evening. Both Ed McMahon and Lou Dobbs emceed the event. After a short video biography of me, I was presented the award by Mike Yanney. This had a particularly significant impact on me because he and Walter Scott — both members of the Horatio Alger Association — had helped me with SAIC’s acquisition of Bellcore. I then gave my acceptance speech. Here is the text:
Thank you. I am honored to become a member of the Horatio Alger Association. It is especially gratifying to become part of a group that does so much to help our nation’s most deserving youth attain higher education. I look forward to serving as a mentor to the Horatio Alger Scholars. Mentorship plays a vital role in a quest for success. I think it is especially important to seek mentors if you do not have positive role models at home. My first mentor was a college professor. He made a positive difference in my life’s direction, and in the lives of many of my classmates. As a result I too wanted to have a positive impact on others. I accomplished that goal at SAIC, which I believe has made a significant and positive contribution to society. I am truly grateful to my family, my business partners, and my past employees for helping me make my dream a reality. To the young people here with us tonight, I’d like to share with you the fact that I am 83 years old and still participating in my education. I learn something new every day. For example, I decided to learn more about biology and genomics since they are going to play a significant role in our country’s future and maybe I can play a part in it. I have a lot to learn but I am challenged to do so — many people are helping me. It is my hope that you too will take your education seriously and never stop learning.
On Saturday morning we all attended a breakfast meeting where four of the 108 new Horatio Alger Scholars supported by the Association were singled out to present their backgrounds and take questions from the audience. One of the four — Charles Driscoll — was a particularly talented musician. He played the viola for us and he is planning to continue studying music at the University of Utah, where he has his scholarship. In the afternoon, Jim Russell and his wife — together with my son Jim and daughter Mary Ann — visited the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport. The museum contained every imaginable full-scale airplane, simulator, and weapon — including torpedoes and rockets — from World War I to the recent past.
The week was memorable and will be unforgettable for all of us. A couple thousand people attended all the sessions, including quite a large number of SAIC employees. It was highly scripted by the Association, and I for one felt I had attended an Academy Awards event. I know that I didn’t get to this place in life all by myself. I would like to take time to thank my wife Betty and my family and SAIC employees and others who supported me over the years, who played important roles in my life, and who continue to do so today.