FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
May 27, 2021 

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Carly Colombo 

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PRESS RELEASE 

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Announces Sponsorship of PBS’ 32^nd Annual National Memorial Day Concert

Concert to honor our American heroes with all-star performances and tributes on Sunday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m. EST on PBS

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27, 2021) – Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, is pleased to announce that thanks to Association leadership, the organization is proud to sponsor of the 32^nd National Memorial Day Concert on PBS. For more than three decades, this multi-award-winning television event has honored the military service of men and women in uniform, 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 of Horatio Alger Members and 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 Lee R. Anderson, Sr. (‘14), Sherian Grace Cadoria (‘03), Vance L. Cryer (’19), James H. Doolittle (’72), Robert J. Dole (’88), R. James Nicholson (’00), and Colin L. Powell (’91).

“Thanks to a group of Members, the Association is pleased to support the 32^nd National Memorial Day Concert,” said James F. Dicke II, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient. “Our organization honors perseverance, integrity, bravery, compassion. We recognize that these values—values that embody what it means to be American – stand strong today because of the sacrifice of veterans—service men and women and military families. My fellow Members and I are honored to pay tribute to them in this special way.”

“We are delighted to welcome the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a new underwriter for the National Memorial Day Concert,” said Michael Colbert, Capital Concerts Executive Producer. “The concert highlights personal stories of service to country and perseverance under difficult circumstances. We applaud the Association’s impact on America’s future leaders through its investment in deserving students who have also faced significant adversity but displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming these challenges.”

The National Memorial Day Concert will be hosted by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise with performances and tributes from Washington, D.C. and around the country saluting American heroes. Although traditionally held live on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the concert—one of PBS’ highest-rated programs—will air as a special pre-taped 90-minute show. The evening serves as a reminder of the real meaning of Memorial Day by sharing the personal stories of service men and women and their families. The 2021 concert will feature special tributes to:

• Vietnam Nurses – Performed by Emmy Award-winning actress Kathy Baker (PICKET FENCES) The evening will honor the more than 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam War era and the sacrifice and heroism of the nurses who saved thousands of lives.
• 70^th Anniversary of the Korean War – Portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Morton (SCANDAL) The concert will recognize the more than 1.7 million Americans sent to fight in this brutal conflict, and the more than 36,000 American lives lost. The 2^nd Ranger Infantry Company, the elite, all-Black Airborne group that opened doors for all African American men and women in uniform, will be specially honored.
• 20^th Anniversary of 9/11 and Gold Star Families – Featuring Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Steve Buscemi (BOARDWALK EMPIRE), acclaimed actresses Mary McCormack (WEST WING) and Bailee Madison (A WEEK AWAY). In a segment hosted by Steve Buscemi, the evening will commemorate the 20 years since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, remembering all who died that tragic day and in the two decades since in service to our nation. The concert will also honor the service members and their families by a generation at war and share the poignant story of one Gold Star Family.

The special tributes will be interwoven with guest speakers and musical performances by the National Symphony Orchestra and other artists. Country music star Mickey Guyton will open the show with a special performance of the national anthem. Other featured participants include American statesman and 1991 Horatio Alger Award recipient Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret); seven-time Grammy Award-winner Gladys Knight; country music superstar Vince Gill; Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and author Sara Bareilles;  multi-platinum country music icon Alan Jackson; internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves; Motown legends The Four Tops; Broadway, film and television star Brian d’Arcy James; members of the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Jack Everly; a new special Salute to Services with the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the Pentagon; and a message from General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The National Memorial Day Concert airs on PBS stations on Sunday, May 30, 2021, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. EDT. It will be broadcasted to U.S. troops around the world on the American Forces Network. The concert will also be streaming on Facebook, YouTube and http://www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and available as Video on Demand, May 30 to June 13, 2021.

The Association honors all of 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

William E. Bailey

Karl D. Bays

Sandy Beaver

Howard O. Beaver, Jr.

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

Truett Cathy

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

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

Clifford F. Hood

Edward A. Horrigan, Jr.

John A. Howard

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

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

James Nicholson

John J. O’Connor

James A. Patterson

Allen E. Paulson

William T. Payne

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

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

Homer Surbeck

William B. Tabler, Sr.

Ronald Terwilliger

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

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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 the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support 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 2020, the Association awarded more than $21 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to 2,500 students across the United States and Canada and provided college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $235 million in undergraduate, graduate, military veteran and career and technical education scholarships to more than 35,000 deserving students. For more information, please visit www.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 in Washington, 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 Festival Award, the Golden Cine Award, and the Writer’s Guild of America Award.