UNMC supporter Charles W. Durham is one of 10 Americans being honored today with the prestigious 2002 Horatio Alger Award. The award, presented by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, recognizes the achievements and accomplishments of Americans who have risen from humble beginnings to achieve personal and professional success.
Durham, chairman of Durham Resources in Omaha, joins an illustrious group of past recipients including Ed McMahon, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Graham, Mary Kay Ash, Mary Higgins Clark, Maya Angelou, Robert Dole, George Foreman and Colin Powell. He is being honored today in Washington, D.C., along with fellow Omaha businessman Richard Davidson, chairman, president and CEO of Union Pacific Corporation.
“Chuck Durham’s story is a testament to the value of hard work and perseverance,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “As an engineer he helped build HDR into an international giant. As a philanthropist, he has helped UNMC in its vision of becoming a world-class institution in the areas of education, research and patient care. We are extremely grateful to Chuck for his generous support and leadership.”
Durham’s gifts to the UNMC campus are unprecedented. The Iowa native made the largest single gift in UNMC’s history to help fund construction of the $77 million, 284,000-square-foot Research Center of Excellence on the west end of the campus. His support also is making possible the construction of a $19.3 million parking garage for employees.
In 1998, Durham and his late wife Margre, established a permanent endowment fund to support innovative education and research programs in the UNMC College of Medicine in the key areas of arthritis, prostate and breast cancer and minimally-invasive surgery. The gift made possible the purchase of a computer-assisted robot, which is revolutionizing the way surgery is performed. In recognition of the gift, the Outpatient Care Center was renamed the Durham Outpatient Center.
This year’s award recipients are:
- Louis C. Brock – Baseball Hall of Famer, St. Charles, Mo.
- John W. Colloton – Director & CEO Emeritus, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
- Richard K. Davidson – Chairman, President & CEO, Union Pacific Corporation, Omaha, Neb.
- James L. Doti – President, Chapman University, Orange, Calif.
- Charles W. Durham – Chairman & CEO, Durham Resources LLC, Omaha, Neb.
- George L. Graziadio, Jr. – Chairman, Comerica Bank-California, Inglewood, Calif.
- Katherine D. Ortega – Former Treasurer of the United States, Washington, D.C.
- Charles L. Overby – Chairman & CEO, The Freedom Forum, Arlington, Va.
- James A. Patterson – Owner/President, Pattco, LLC, Louisville, Ky.
- Delford M. Smith – Founder & Chairman, Evergreen International Aviation, Inc., McMinnville, Ore.
“This year’s award recipients continue the tradition of proving that hard work, determination and integrity are the keys to success and the American Dream,” said H. Wayne Huizenga, president & CEO of the Horatio Alger Association.
Horatio Alger Jr. was the author of more than 100 books that inspired young people from the post-Civil War era through the end of the 19th century. His novels of courage, faith and hard, honest work captured the imagination of generations of young Americans and gave them a model of hope and promise in the face of hardships.
His novels told everyone, no matter how poor, orphaned or powerless, that if they persevere, if they do their best, if they always try to do the right thing, they can succeed. Success was earned by hard work and right action. Alger trumpeted the doctrine of achieving success through self-reliance, self-discipline, decency, and honesty. He died in 1899 of lung and heart ailments. He was 67.