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SAIC Retired Chairman and CEO J. Robert Beyster Honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
Eight California High School Scholars Also Recognized With $20,000 Scholarship

Washington, DC – (March 6, 2008) –The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is proud to announce that J. Robert Beyster, retired chairman and CEO of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), will be presented with the 2008 Horatio Alger Award and inducted as a lifetime member of the Association during ceremonies in Washington, DC, April 3-5, 2008.
  
The Association is equally proud to announce eight high school seniors from California will join Beyster in Washington to be honored as Horatio Alger National Scholars.  Horatio Alger National Scholars receive $20,000 scholarships toward a college education. The students have demonstrated integrity, perseverance in overcoming hardships, strength of character, academic promise, a commitment to pursue higher education, and a desire to contribute to society.   

This year's scholarship recipients from California are: Jade A. Berry from Orange, Pauline  P. Dinh and Hien T. Ho from Garden Grove, Kayah A. Franklin from Elk Grove, Jordan L. Harms from Mill Valley, Lashay Massey from Fresno, Jeff Orellana from Redondo Beach and Adam D. Raize from Palm Desert. 

 "Our 2008 members are a diverse group of individuals who serve as extraordinary role models for our nation's most ambitious youth.  Each of them has leveraged hard work, courage and determination to overcome extreme adversity and achieve the American Dream of achievement and success," said Horatio Alger Association Chairman Dennis R. Washington. "For over 60 years, the Association has been dedicated to honoring those that have defied the odds.  We are proud to continue that tradition this year."

The 61st annual events will take place in various historic landmarks in our nation's capital such as the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Department of State, and DAR Constitution Hall.  The events will 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 2008 Horatio Alger Award recipients surmount significant obstacles to achieve successful lives.

Also being inducted in April are William F. Austin, CEO, Starkey Laboratories, Inc; Gary P. Brinson, founder and chairman, The Brinson Foundation; Joseph "Joe" Clark, chairman, Aviation Partners Boeing and chairman and CEO, Aviation Partners Inc.; Hadi Makarechian, chairman and CEO, Capital Pacific Holdings, Inc.; G. Wallace F. McCain, cofounder and vice chairman, McCain Foods Limited and chairman, Maple Leaf Foods Inc.; Lee E. Mikles, cofounder, president and CEO, FutureFuel Corporation; Joseph R. Moderow, senior vice president, general counsel and board member (retired), United Parcel Service; Aulana L. Peters, retired partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Robert J. Schlegel, chairman and CEO, Pavestone Company, L.P.

J. Robert Beyster has always been dedicated to the pursuit of education.  In response to receiving the Horatio Alger Award he stated, "I continue to learn from the past experiences of others and am honored to be listed alongside these unique men and women.  The Horatio Alger Association is an organization that truly highlights the American Dream. All you need are a few good ideas and a lot of hard work – this will ultimately lead to success."

Dr. Beyster was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1924. As he was preparing to graduate from high school, the United States entered World War II, and he enlisted in the Navy.  Following the war, he returned to the University of Michigan where he ultimately earned masters and doctoral degrees in engineering and relocated to San Diego to chair the Accelerator Physics Department of General Atomics. 

In 1969, Dr. Beyster mortgaged his home to raise money to start Scientific Applications, Inc. (SAI), with a few fellow scientists. The company was renamed Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC), as it expanded its operations. SAIC now oversees projects for commercial and government customers related to information technology, systems integration and eSolutions, national and homeland security, energy, the environment, space, telecommunications, health care and logistics. When he retired as chairman and CEO of SAIC in 2004, the company had annual revenues of $6.7 billion and more than 43,000 employees.   

Among his numerous honors, Dr. Beyster has received the Engineering Manager of the Year Award in 2000 from the American Society of Engineering Management, the 2001 Spirit of San Diego Award from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Ernst & Young in 2003 and the Supporter of Entrepreneurialism Award from Arthur Young and Venture magazine. He has authored more than 60 scientific papers and reports and, sits on several scientific boards. He also endowed a chair at the Engineering School of the University of California in San Diego. To foster the concept of employee-owned businesses, he started the nonprofit Beyster Institute for Entrepreneurial Employee Ownership and the Foundation for Enterprise Development.

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.  The Horatio Alger Association offers scholarships through three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program, State Scholarship Programs for high school seniors, and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.  The Association now awards more than $12 million annually in college scholarships, totaling more than $52 million in recent years. For more information about the scholarships, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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