Horatio Alger Association to Sponsor PBS' Annual National Memorial Day Concert for Fourth Consecutive Year

05.22.24Press ReleasesAssociation

Concert will honor American heroes with all-star performances and tributes onSunday, May 26at8:00 p.m. ESTon PBS

WASHINGTON,D.C. (May 22, 2024) –Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams by providing scholarships for higher education, is pleased to announce that, thanks to the generosity of Association leadership, it will be the lead underwriter of the annualNational Memorial Day Concert on PBSfor the fourth year in a row. This renowned multi-award-winning television event honors America’s service men and women, their families and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The Horatio Alger Association was established in 1947 to dispel the mounting belief among our nation’s youth that the American Dream was no longer attainable – a Dream that today remains within reach because of the service and sacrifice of our military men and women. The accomplishments ofHoratio Alger Membersand the hope that lies within Horatio Alger Scholars and Alumni are possible because our country’s freedom is protected. More than 200 Members and hundreds more Alumni Scholars are veterans of the U.S. military, including former PresidentsHerbert Hoover(’53),Dwight Eisenhower(’61),Gerald Ford(’83) andRonald Reagan(’69), as well as former Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger(’92), former Secretaries of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald (’22) and R.James Nicholson(’00), and Brigadier General of the United States Air Force,Charles Yeager(’86).

“Thanks to the incredible generosity of my fellow Members, we are thrilled to once again extend our support to the National Memorial Day Concert,” saidJames F. Dicke II, chairman of the Horatio Alger Association and 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient. “Our country’s service men and women embody perseverance, integrity and compassion – values that our organization also honors. It brings the Association great joy to pay tribute to their sacrifices through this special concert.”

The National Memorial Day Concert will be hosted by Tony Award-winning actorJoe Mantegnaand Emmy Award-winning actorGary Sinise, two champions of veterans causes and active service members. The evening will feature special tributes led byBryan Cranston(World War II), BD Wong (Gold Star Families Remembrance) andJena Malone(Honoring a Generation’s Service) as well as moving performances by Cynthia Erivo, Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts,Jamey Johnson,Mary McCormack,Ruthie Ann Miles, Patina Miller and the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Jack Everly.

“The Association is proud to have inducted so many veterans as lifetime Members over the 77 years since our founding,” saidLesley Albanese, chief executive officer of the Horatio Alger Association. “Supporting the National Memorial Day Concert is a way of paying our respects to them – and to all the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country. Many of the stories that define our great nation are only possible in America, and only possible because our freedoms are protected.”

The National Memorial Day Concert airs on PBSSunday, May 26, 2024, from8:00 to 9:30 p.m. E.T., as well as to our troops serving around the world on American Forces Network. The concert will also be streaming on www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concertand YouTube and available as Video on Demand,May 26 to June 9, 2024.

The Association honors all our country’s courageous veterans and service men and women, including the following Horatio Alger Association Members:

Robert H. Abplanalp
Buzz Aldrin
Joe L. Allbritton
Wally Amos
Lee R. Anderson, Sr.
Walter Anderson
James R. Andrews, M.D.
Al Annexstad
George L. Argyros, Sr.
Roy L. Ash
Gene Autry
Barbara M. Barrett
William E. Bailey
Robert D. Ballard
Karl D. Bays
Sandy Beaver
Howard O. Beaver, Jr.
J.Robert Beyster
John R. Block
Michael Bongiovanni
John Bowles
Walter Brennan
Jack H. Brown
Art Buchwald
Dean L. Buntrock
Harold Burson
Sherian Grace Cadoria
James R. Caldwell
Wesley E. Cantrell
Lester W. Carter
Johnny Cash
S.Truett Cathy
R.Carl Chandler
Marvin Chandler
Arthur A. Ciocca
James H. Clark
William P. Clements, Jr.
James A. Collins
John W. Colloton
John B. Connally
William Alfred Cook
Delos M. Cosgrove
Thomas G. Cousins
Robert L. Crandall
John C. Crean
Trammell Crow
John F. Crowley
Henry Crown
Vance L. Cryer
Emmett J. Culligan
Raymond L. Danner
John H. Dasburg
Peter M. Dawkins
William E.C. Dearden
Michael E. DeBakey
Robert H. Dedman
John Paul DeJoria
Jerry E. Dempsey
Richard M. DeVos
Robert J. Dole
William J. Donlon
James H. Doolittle
Adron Doran
Michael E. Dougherty
Archie W. Dunham
Percy J. Ebbot
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Leonard L. Farber
Robert E. Farrell
Clarence C. Finley
Lee F. Flaherty
Sam M. Fleming
Robert S. Fogarty, Jr.
Hiram L. Fong
Gerald R. Ford
Sam Fox
Tommy Ray Franks
Alwin F. Franz
Foster Stephen Friess
Robert P. Gerholz
Terry M. Giles
Robert Blyth Goergen
Stedman Graham
Harry J. Gray
William E. Greehey
Jenard M. Gross
Peter M. Guida
Chuck Hagel
Edmund A. Hajim
George S. Halas
Michel T. Halbouty
Bruce T. Halle
Alexander G. Hardy
Thomas L. Harken
Leon W. Harman
Paul Harvey
James A. Haslam II
Robert Wayne Hawkinson
Walter J. Hickel
Clayton Paul Hilliard
Richard D. Holland
Dennis Franklin Holt
Louis L. Holtz
Clifford F. Hood
Edward A. Horrigan, Jr.
John A. Howard
H.Wayne Huizenga
Jon M. Huntsman
Arthur E. Imperatore, Sr.
Daniel K. Inouye
Russell L. Isaacs
Arthur G. James
Dean W. Jeffers
James Earl Jones
Earle M. Jorgensen
Ewing Marion Kauffman
Dee J. Kelly
Patrick C. Kelly
Donald R. Keough
Jeong H. Kim
James V. Kimsey
Henry A. Kissinger
Richard L. Knowlton
Alexander Kroll
Thomas W. Landry
Kenneth G. Langone
Harold F. Lenfest
Alfred Lerner
Richard L. Lesher
Gilbert E. LeVasseur, Jr.
Samuel H. Levinson
James J. Ling
Bernie Little, Sr.
Allen Ludden
John D. MacArthur
Walter S. Mack
James J. Maguire, Sr.
Frederic V. Malek
Vincent G. Marotta
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz
Harvey L. Massey
Warren E. McCain
John H. McConnell
Robert A. McDonald
Charles A. McKee
Rod McKuen
Ed McMahon
John Thomas McNabb II
Frank A. McPherson
Harry A. Merlo
Howard M. Meyers
Alan B. Miller
Thomas E. Millsop
George P. Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
Joseph R. Moderow
James R. Moffett
Thomas S. Monaghan
Thomas W. Moore
Jim Moran
John A. Moran
Michael G. Morris
Charles Stewart Mott
Frank C. Nicholas
R.James Nicholson
John J. O’Connor
John G. Pappajohn
James A. Patterson
Allen E. Paulson
William T. Payne
H.Ross Perot, Sr.
Ann Person
Lewis H. Phillips
Charles J. Pilliod, Jr.
Carl R. Pohlad
Harold A. Poling
Colin L. Powell
Gwilym A. Price
James H. Pugh, Jr.
Ronald Reagan
Steven S Reinemund
D.B. Reinhart
Frank E. Resnik
Harold J. Richards
Edward V. Rickenbacker
Carl H. Ricker, Jr.
Harry S. Rinker
Joseph Robbie
Josue Robles, Jr.
David M. Roderick
Juan Antonio Rodríguez
Richard M. Rosenberg
Darrell Royal
Howard A. Rusk
William G. Salatich
T.Denny Sanford
Harold G. Scheie
Stephen C. Schott
Peter G. Scotese
Ray W. Scott, Jr.
Walter Scott, Jr.
John H. Scully
Tom Selleck
James M. Seneff, Jr.
Beurt R. SerVaas
Mark Shepherd, Jr.
Delford M. Smith
George V. Smith
Alex G. Spanos
Jack D. Sparks
William H. Spoor
Earl W. Stafford, Sr.
Harold E. Stassen
Roger T. Staubach
Manfred Steinfeld
Herbert J. Stiefel
Carl B. Stokes
Peter W. Stott
L.Homer Surbeck
William B. Tabler, Sr.
J.Ronald Terwilliger
R.David Thomas
David A. Thompson
Charles B. Thornton
Henry B. Tippie
Harold Toppel
Monroe E. Trout
Fred L. Turner
R.E. Turner
Romeo J. Ventres
Hicks B. Waldron
Sam M. Walton
Ronald C. Waranch
Herbert A. Wertheim
Carl H. Westcott
Kemmons Wilson
Huey J. Wilson
Sidney D. Wolk
Benjamin H. Wooten
Michael W. Wright
Michael B. Yanney
Charles E. Yeager

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them theHoratio AlgerAward and inducting them as lifetime Members.Horatio Alger Memberssupport promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2024, the Association is awarding more than$18 millionin undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to 1,800 students acrossthe United StatesandCanada, and continuing to provide comprehensive academic, personal, and professional support services to its Scholars. Over the past 40 years, more than$265 millionhas been awarded in undergraduate, graduate, military veteran and career and technical education scholarships to more than 37,000 deserving students. For more information, please visitwww.horatioalger.org.

About Capital Concerts:

Capital Concerts is the nation’s leading producer of live patriotic television shows, including PBS’s highest-rated performance specials: the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT and A CAPITOL FOURTH, the premier celebrations of America’s most important holidays broadcast from the U.S. Capitol inWashington, D.C.For over 40 years, these two award-winning productions have become national traditions, bringing us together as one family of Americans to celebrate our freedom and democratic ideals and to pay tribute to those who defend them. The holiday specials have been honored with over 80 awards including the New York Film Festivals TV and Film Award, the Telly Award, and the Writers Guild of America, among others.

The program is a co-production ofMichael Colbertof Capital Concerts and WETA,Washington, D.C.Executive producerMichael Colberthas assembled an award-winning production team that features the topHollywoodtalent behind some of television’s most prestigious entertainment awards shows including the ACADEMY AWARDS, GRAMMY AWARDS, COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, TONY AWARDS, and more.

Horatio Alger Association to Sponsor PBS' Annual National Memorial Day Concert for Fourth Consecutive Year | Horatio Alger (2024)

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