FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2020

CONTACT:
Carly Buggy
484-385-2934 (office)
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Horatio Alger Association Elects Respected Business and Philanthropic Leader James F. Dicke II as President

2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient and current Association secretary to succeed Matthew K. Rose as president

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 14, 2020) – 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, today announced the election by the board of directors of 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient and current vice president, James F. Dicke II, as president. He succeeds Matthew K. Rose, 2013 Award recipient, who will assume the position of chairman. Mr. Rose takes the place of Byron D. Trott, 2011 Award recipient, who will now serve as chairman emeritus.

Mr. Dicke is the chairman-CEO of Crown Equipment, an Ohio-based company founded by his father that today is the fifth largest manufacturer of forklifts in the world. He was nominated to the Association’s Board of Directors in 2016 and then was selected to join the Executive Committee in 2018. Mr. Dicke will assume his new position effective immediately for a two-year term.

Since its establishment in 1947, the Association has annually bestowed the Horatio Alger Award upon exceptional leaders who have succeeded despite facing significant adversity. Mr. Dicke embodies all that the Award stands for. Raised in Ohio, he was a quiet, studious child who was severely bullied. He later asked his parents to send him to boarding school, and even though this was a financial sacrifice, they agreed. Mr. Dicke graduated from Culver Military Academy, achieving the highest rank of captain. He went on to attend Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he majored in business. After college, he married his wife, Janet, and returned to his hometown to join his father’s modest business, beginning the long challenge of creating a capital goods manufacturing business with no initial funding or investors. Over several decades, Mr. Dicke worked to build a team who turned Crown Equipment into an enterprise that today has $3.5 billion in annual sales and employs 18,000 people worldwide.

“For years, Jim has shown an inspiring, unwavering dedication to the Association and its mission,” said Matthew K. Rose, chairman, Horatio Alger Association. “His energy and sincere devotion to enhancing the lives of young people make him an ideal president for the organization. I look forward to serving alongside Jim and witnessing the vision and passion he will bring to his new role.”

Mr. Dicke has been a strong, involved supporter of the Association since his induction in 2015. He has consistently donated his time and talents and has made generous contributions the state scholarship program, career and technical scholarships in his home state of Ohio and the Friends of Distinction program. In recognition of these efforts, Mr. Dicke became a member of the Association’s prestigious Legacy of Achievement Circle, which is reserved for Members and friends of the Association who have contributed significantly to the endowment of Horatio Alger Scholarships.

“Since becoming a Member, Janet and I have grown increasingly committed to the Horatio Alger Association, primarily because we understand how critical its mission is for today’s young people,” said Mr. Dicke. “Accepting the Award was humbling and to serve as the Association’s president is the honor of a lifetime. I am excited to get to work so that we can help even more young people pursue their dreams through higher education.”

The Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system through its Members. To further this goal, the organization awards scholarships to outstanding students who are committed to pursuing higher education and serving their communities. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced significant adversities, but each has also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming their respective challenges. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $180 million to more than 27,000 students in need. Scholarships are privately funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends of the organization.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its mission, please visit www.horatioalger.org and/or follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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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 2019, 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 $180 million in college scholarships to more than 27,000 deserving students. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.