Contact: Qorvis Communications
Carrie Blewitt (703) 744-7816

Starbucks Chair Howard Schultz Honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
Four New York High School Scholars also Recognized during 60th Anniversary Celebration

Washington, DC – (February 27, 2007) – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans announced that Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company, will be presented with the Horatio Alger Award and inducted as a lifetime member of the Association at its 60th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. in April.

The Association is equally proud to announce four student scholars from New York will join Schultz in Washington, D.C. this spring and will be honored as Horatio Alger National Scholars. Horatio Alger scholarship recipients are students who have excelled in education and have overcome adversity. This year’s scholarship recipients from New York are Harmain S. Khan from Staten Island, Andy J. Marte from Brooklyn, Erick Antonio Paulino from Thiells and Lauren C. Pignataro from Buffalo.

"The 60th anniversary is a time to reflect on six decades of exceptional American achievements, and we look forward to celebrating the successes of the outstanding individuals who will be inducted as Members, and the National Scholars who represent our nation’s most ambitious youth," said Horatio Alger Association President and CEO and ARAMARK Corporation Chairman and CEO, Joseph Neubauer.

The 60th Annual Horatio Alger Awards events will take place in Washington, D.C. on April 12-14, 2007 to honor and induct the Horatio Alger Award recipients. During the events, the Horatio Alger Award winners will meet with 105 high school seniors from around the nation who were selected to receive Horatio Alger National Scholarships, each valued at $20,000. The total amount of college scholarships awarded is more than $12 million annually – an Association milestone.

The events provide an opportunity for some of the nation’s most impressive and determined young people to learn firsthand about the philosophies and experiences that helped the 2007 Horatio Alger Award recipients surmount significant obstacles to achieve successful lives.

The other new members being inducted in April are Craig R. Barrett, chairman of the board for Intel Corporation; Thomas “Tom” J. Brokaw, former anchor and managing editor of the NBC Nightly News; Jenny and Sid Craig, co-founders of Jenny Craig International; Craig Hall, chairman and founder of Hall Financial Group; Clarence Otis, Jr., chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants; Richard M. Rosenberg, chairman and CEO of Bank of America (retired); David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group; Roger T. Staubach, former Dallas Cowboy and chairman and CEO of The Staubach Company; and Chris Thomas Sullivan, founder and chairman of OSI Restaurant Partners, Inc.

In preparation for the spring awards, Schultz recently had a few words of advice for the high school recipients of the Horatio Alger Scholarship. He said: “There’s going to be many times in your life where it’ll be very easy for you to forget where you have come from. And not only should you not forget where you come from, but integrate that in where you’re going. It’s important to be respectful to the people who have come before you and to honor them.”

Howard Schultz grew up in the Bayview housing projects in Brooklyn, New York. His father worked as a truck driver, cab driver and factory worker. Schultz earned a football scholarship to attend Northern Michigan University, and in 1975, he became the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Following college, Schultz worked for Xerox for three years before joining the Swedish housewares firm Hammarplast to start a U. S. division. Eventually, he accepted a position as head of marketing with one of Hammarplast clients, a small whole-bean coffee outlet called Starbucks.

After unsuccessfully trying to convince Starbucks’ owners to open a line of coffee bars, Schultz left the company and created a chain called Il Giornale. In 1987, Schultz and his partners purchased Starbucks Coffee Company and formed the Starbucks Corporation.

From 11 stores and 100 partners (employees) in 1987, Schultz oversaw the growth and development of one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands. He oversaw the 1992 initial public offering of Starbucks stock, which has seen a 5,000 percent return as of February 2, 2007. Today the Starbucks Corporation is a $7.8 billion company with 145,000 partners and 13,500 stores in 39 countries. Starbucks was also one of the first companies in America to provide health insurance and equity in the form of stock options for all partners, including part timers.

Schultz created the Starbucks Foundation to raise awareness of literacy issues and promote literacy programs, as well as to help address the world water crisis. Howard and his wife, Sheri, operate the philanthropic Schultz Family Foundation.

About The Horatio Alger Association
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. Among the Association’s 300 members are well-known Americans including the noted poet Maya Angelou, author and broadcaster Lou Dobbs, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and television personality Oprah Winfrey.

The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program for high school seniors, various state scholarship programs and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Award winners receive financial aid counseling and internship placement assistance.

For more information about the scholarships or to find out more about the 2007 Washington events, please call (703) 684-9444 or visit www.horatioalger.org.

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