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Clayton Paul Hilliard Named 2009 Horatio Alger Award Winner
President & Owner of Badger Oil Corporation to be Inducted in April in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, February 2, 2009 – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is pleased to announce that Clayton Paul Hilliard will be presented with the 2009 Horatio Alger Award and inducted as a lifetime member of the association for his determination in achieving success despite his humble upbringing.

Hilliard, president and owner of the Badger Oil Corporation in Louisiana, will be officially inducted into the prestigious association on April 3rd in Washington, D.C. Recipients must have overcome humble beginnings or adversity to achieve success and serve as outstanding role models to the national community.

“We welcome these extraordinary leaders into the Horatio Alger Association. Each has demonstrated steadfast determination and amazing achievements that support our unwavering mission of honoring true American success stories,” said David L. Sokol, president and CEO of the Horatio Alger Association. “Paul will serve as a role model for today’s youth by encouraging motivation, purpose and superior accomplishments.”

Clayton Paul Hilliard was born in 1925 on a small farm in Northern Wisconsin. His father was chronically ill so his mother, with the help of his older brother, managed to make a living from that 80-acres, albeit without the luxury of electricity, indoor plumbing or an automobile. In February, 1943, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he served for 40 months, 14 of them in the Pacific as a radioman-gunner in SBD “Dauntless” dive bombers. Upon his discharge, he used the GI Bill to attend college at the University of Wisconsin and Syracuse University.  He received his law degree from the University of Texas in 1951.

The young lawyer decided on a career in oil and gas exploration, first with the predecessor of Chevron Corporation and then with legendary oil man H.L.Hunt. At the age of 30, and with $400 in the bank, Hilliard left the security of a company job behind to seek his fortune as an entrepreneur:  an independent oil man. Risk was part of the allure of being independent, but he could not foresee the 54-year (and counting) roller coaster that lay ahead. Hilliard’s privately-held Badger Oil Corporation has survived business downturns, dry holes and hurricanes to become one of the more successful small operators in the Gulf of Mexico and South Louisiana.

Hilliard is a founding director of MidSouth Bank, a community bank which is based in Lafayette, Louisiana. From 1989-91, he served as the national chairman for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the trade group which represents the interests of small oil and gas producers. He also serves on the board of Louisiana’s Public Affairs Research Council, a non-partisan policy research organization

Numerous civic and charitable programs benefit from Hillard’s commitment to the community. The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette has received state, regional and national awards for architectural design and function. He serves on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. In 1997, Paul and the late Mrs. Hilliard established the Badger Excellence in Education Foundation, which promotes reading in several of the community’s at-risk elementary schools.

In addition to Hilliard’s award, ten other outstanding individuals who have accomplished remarkable achievements through hard work, self-reliance and perseverance, will receive the 2009 Horatio Alger Award. They are:

• James S.C. Chao, chairman, Foremost Group
• David Foster, producer, composer and arranger, Reprise Records & 143 Records
• Rebecca MacDonald, founder and executive chair, Energy Savings Income Fund (international recipient)
• Michael G. Morris, chairman, president and CEO, American Electric Power
• Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and CEO, PepsiCo Inc.
• Carl H. Ricker, Jr., founder, chairman and CEO, Azalea Holdings; partner, Campus Crest Communities; chairman, executive committee, Capital Bank Corp; and co-founder and chairman, MXT Card Services, LLC
• Thomas Joseph Shannon, Jr., founder, T-Bird Restaurant Group, Inc. and Village Development Co.
• Denzel Washington, Academy Award winning actor and director
• Robert L. Wright, Jr., chairman, FE Holdings, Inc.
• Stephen A. Wynn, chairman and CEO, Wynn Resorts

The new members will be presented with their awards April 3rd at the Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies. Activities include three days of meetings and celebrations in some of the nation’s most historic buildings. The Horatio Alger National Scholars, remarkable high school seniors, will also be formally honored during the three-day gathering.
A complete list of all of the Horatio Alger Members can be found at http://www.horatioalger.com/members.cfm.

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 three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program and state scholarship programs, and graduate grants. The association awards nearly $7 million annually in college scholarships and has given more than $63 million to deserving students since 1984. The association is a 2008 Combined Federal Campaign participant, ID# 77062. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.  

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