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Aviation Partners Boeing Chairman Joseph Clark Honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
Two Washington 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 Joseph "Joe" Clark, chairman of Aviation Partners Boeing and chairman and CEO of Aviation Partners Inc., 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 two student scholars from Washington will join Clark in Washington to be honored as Horatio Alger National Scholars.  Horatio Alger National Scholars will receive $20,000 scholarships toward a college education. The students have demonstrated integrity, perseverance in overcoming hardships, strength of character, academic promise, commitment to pursue a higher education and a desire to contribute to society.   

This year's scholarship recipients from Washington are Sara L. Prendergast from Bellingham and Haben Sebhatu from Seattle.

"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; J. Robert Beyster, retired chairman and CEO, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC); Gary P. Brinson, founder and chairman, The Brinson Foundation; 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.

In response to receiving the Horatio Alger Award, Joseph "Joe" Clark said, "We have an obligation and duty to mentor the young people of America.  Each one of them should have the opportunity to aim high for their dreams, whatever they may be, and be given the chance to learn the tools that make these dreams achievable.  I am honored to be a part of an organization that provides our future leaders with that support and guidance."

Clark was born in Canada in 1941. His family moved to Seattle, Washington when he was four years old and money was very tight.  His aviation career began in 1965 when he founded Jet Air, the first Lear Jet distributorship in the Northwest, which had a sales territory covering Washington, Oregon, Alaska and all of Canada. In 1987 he founded Avstar Inc. to market ex-military jet training aircraft to American companies and private individuals. 

In 1988, Clark, Clay Lacy and Bruce McCaw formed the Friendship Foundation with the objective of raising money for charity and setting the world's record for flying around the world.  On January 28-29, 1988, using a Boeing 747SP, the Friendship Foundation set a world record for circling the globe in 36 hours, 54 minutes and 15 seconds.  Their achievement raised more than $500,000 for children's charities.

In 1991, Clark and chairman of the Horatio Alger Association, Dennis R. Washington founded Aviation Partners, Inc. where they invented blended winglets. They were first flown on the Gulf Stream II. In 1999, Clark signed an agreement with the Boeing Company to retrofit all of the 10,200 Boeing aircraft in the field with these winglets.  It is estimated that this could save close to 1.8 billion gallons of het fuel per year with corresponding reductions in engine emissions.  In addition to working with Boeing, Aviation Partners, Inc. has developed blended winglets for the Raytheon Hawker 800 series and now Dassualt Aviation's Falcon 2000 LX.  Clark is featured in the "Living Legend of Aviation" article in the March 2006 issue of Airport Journal. 

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 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 $52 million in recent years. For more information about the scholarships, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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