By Mary Margaret Colliver

~

Jack M. Gill, founder and general partner of Vanguard Venture Partners, Houston, Texas, who with his wife, Linda, donated $5 million last year to the University of Kentucky to establish the Linda and Jack Gill Heart Institute is one of
11 who will receive the 1999 Horatio Alger Award.

~

Among the recipients is Jack M. Gill, founder and general partner of Vanguard Venture Partners, Houston, Texas, who with his wife, Linda, donated $5 million last year to the University of Kentucky to establish the Linda and Jack Gill Heart Institute and an endowed chair in preventive cardiology, five endowed professorships, and endowed research and special programs. The gift is one of the largest individual gifts ever given to the University of Kentucky.

The Horatio Alger Award is presented annually by the association to men and women who have faced and overcome significant personal adversity through hard work, integrity, determination and a strong dedication to helping others. The Horatio Alger Association, a non-profit educational association, is committed to providing role models for contemporary American youth, and assisting young people with scholarships, grants, and mentoring support to encourage them toward successful futures.

Other award recipients include Barbara Barrett, owner and president of Triple Creek Guest Ranch; Lou Dobbs, president of CNN Financial News and executive vice president of Cable News Network (CNN); Willie Edward Gary, senior partner of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson and Sperando; M. Douglas Ivester, chairman of the board and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company; Lee Liu, chairman of Interstate Energy Corporation; Craig O. McCaw, chairman of Teledesic; Joseph A. Pichler, chairman and CEO, The Kroger Company; Bernard Rapoport, chairman and CEO of American Income Life Insurance Company; Sidney D. Wolk, founder, president and CEO of The Cross Country Group; and Michael W. Wright, chairman, president and CEO of Supervalu, Inc.

The award is named for the 19^th century American author Horatio Alger, whose characters personified the climb from humble beginnings to personal and professional success that came to be known as the American Dream. The keys to their achievements were the simple values of hard work, determination, integrity, and a keen desire to help others.

The award recipients were chosen from among hundreds of nominations and will be honored at the 52^nd Annual Horatio Alger Awards Ceremonies April 22-24, 1999, in Washington, D.C.