The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. was founded in 1947. The association honors leaders who have overcome challenges and achieved great success. It gives them the Horatio Alger Award and makes them Lifetime Members.
In turn, Horatio Alger members support promising young people with the resources and confidence to overcome adversity and pursue their dreams through higher education.
Through the generosity of its members and friends, the association has budgeted to award more than $17.4 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to students across the United States and Canada in 2025.
Since 1984, the association has provided its Scholars with comprehensive academic, personal, and professional support services.
That includes annual need-based scholarships to high school students who have overcome significant obstacles, shown a commitment to continuing their education and made a unique contribution to society.
The scholarships are possible because of the generosity of association members, who have collectively provided for over 37,000 students.
Over the past 40 years, more than $265 million has been awarded in undergraduate, graduate, military veteran, and career and technical education scholarships to more than 37,000 deserving students.
For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have overcome adversity and supports promising young people in pursuing their American Dream through higher education and technical scholarships.
The Horatio Alger Award is bestowed annually upon individuals who have succeeded despite facing significant challenges and have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their communities and beyond.
This year, Lee Greenwood, an American musician, singer, and songwriter, joins 11 other corporate, civic, and cultural leaders in receiving 2025 honors.
“Lee embodies the essence of the American Dream – hard work, dedication, and a deep love of country,” said David L. Sokol, chairman and CEO of Teton Capital, LLC, Horatio Alger Association Chairman Emeritus and 2004 Horatio Alger Award recipient. “His music has inspired millions, and his personal story of resilience will resonate deeply with our Scholars. We are honored to welcome him as an Association Member and look forward to the impact he will have on our organization.”
The Class of 2025 will be inducted as Lifetime Members during the 78th Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C., from April 3 to 5. The three-day event honors the achievements of Lifetime Members and National Scholars throughout the multi-day celebration.
“It is a true honor to receive the Horatio Alger Award and join an organization whose important work aligns so closely with my mission of championing the American Dream,” said Greenwood. “Performing at many association events and witnessing the organization’s impact firsthand over the years has been incredibly rewarding. To be inducted as a Lifetime Member is humbling, and I’m looking forward to playing a greater role in helping students achieve their dreams and build brighter futures.”
Greenwood’s parents divorced during World War II, and he would not meet his father until he was a teenager. His mother tried supporting two children by playing piano in bars at a time when women were not allowed in bars.
She realized she could not raise Lee and his sister Patricia alone. Greenwood and his sister were sent to live on their grandparents’ sharecropper farm in Sacramento. On the farm, they lived in a trailer with add-on rooms, which also consisted of an outhouse, until he was 13.
Greenwood was responsible for the daily farm chores before going to school. Most days after school, he would gather fruit, flowers, and vegetables from their garden and sell them to the local Chinese market, which allowed him to buy necessary items like shoes, socks, and clothes for school.
Throughout his teenage years, he learned to drive a tractor, work the harvester, or feed the chickens; he always made it a point to do what he needed.
Greenwood showed remarkable resilience, and at an early age, he discovered a passion for music. He began playing the piano at 7, and by age 14, he played nearly all the instruments in the school orchestra.
Throughout middle and high school, Greenwood was focused on music and baseball, which led him to earn a music and track scholarship to the College of the Pacific.
His high school music teacher recognized his talent and ensured he would have college-level music theory courses while in high school.
These opportunities allowed him to serve as the drum major for the marching band and play in the orchestra. Greenwood then moved to Nevada, where he spent 20 years writing, performing, and singing in every hotel on the Las Vegas strip.
In 1979, Greenwood signed up with MCA Music as a songwriter and with MCA Records as a recording artist.
His career took off in the early 1980s with the release of chart-topping hits like “It Turns Me Inside Out” and “Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands.”
However, his iconic anthem, “God Bless the USA,” released in 1984, solidified his legacy. The song has become a timeless expression of national pride, earning him widespread recognition and accolades, including multiple Country Music Association (CMA) Awards and Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards.
Greenwood has released over 20 studio albums and more than 35 singles, showcasing his versatility across country, gospel, and patriotic genres.
He has won numerous industry awards, including ACM Male Vocalist of the Year in 1983, CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1983 and 1984, and a Grammy for Top Male Vocal Performance in 1985 for “I.O.U.” The CMA also named “God Bless the U.S.A.” its Song of the Year in 1985.
Beyond his musical achievements, Greenwood has devoted his life to giving back. He has performed for troops worldwide and participated in benefit concerts. Greenwood has served as a longtime ambassador for “Helping a Hero, ” providing adapted homes for wounded veterans.
His charitable endeavors extend to children’s hospitals, disaster relief efforts and education initiatives.
President George W. Bush appointed Greenwood to the National Endowment of the Arts, where he served as a council member from 2014 to 2021. In 2017, he was appointed by President Donald J. Trump as a Kennedy Center trustee.
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