|
"On
behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to inform you
that you have been selected to receive the 2000 Horatio Alger
Award," wrote Richard L. Knowlton, President & CEO of
the Horatio Alger Association. With little pomp and
circumstance, the letter received in the mail by Thomas C.
Cundy, Florida State '54, announced that he was selected for
one of America's most prestigious civilian honors.
he award annually recognizes individuals who have triumphed
over daunting personal obstacles and who have made outstanding
contributions to society. Proving the American Dream is within
the grasp of every individual despite personal hardships or
setbacks serves as the primary benchmark by which recipients
are judged.
 |
Criteria
for
Membership
|
|
Exemplify
triumph over personal hardships to serve as a role model
for young Americans.
Demonstrate
loyalty and devotion to American ideals and to the
American free enterprise system.
Provide
outstanding individual leadership and a commitment to
excellence in their chosen fields, accomplished through
honesty, hard work, self-reliance, enthusiasm and
perseverance.
Serve
as dedicated community leaders with a strong commitment
to assisting those less fortunate than themselves.
Believe
in and support the goals of the Horatio Alger
Association and the purposes for which it was founded.
|
|
undy
was born in 1933 and as an only child, grew up far faster than
other children his age. While his friends were out having fun,
Cundy was working to help support himself and his mother
because of their financial needs. He worked any odd job he
could find. He held down at least two jobs every day of his
early life.
Near
his home, the Work Project Administration built an athletic
field and tennis courts, where Cundy got a job maintaining six
clay courts for two dollars a week. In the process he learned
how to play tennis, which would serve as springboard for
future success.
His
time spent at the tennis courts helped him become a premier
athlete, eventually winning the Kentucky State High School
Tennis Championship. His standout play created an opportunity
to attend Florida State University on Scholarship. He
continued working: washing dishes, being a busboy. He earned a
degree.
In
1958, after serving time in the Marines where Cundy earned the
rank of Captain, he began working for Prudential, and in less
than a year, he sold more than $1 million worth of life
insurance. The work ethic he learned early in his life was
being rewarded. Provident Life & Accident awarded him a
general agency, and Cundy Life Insurance was born.
Over
the next 45 years, Cundy built the largest privately held
employee benefit consulting firm in the nation. Cundy Life
Insurance's clients included Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company,
Fruit of the Loom, McDonald's and Viacom.
His
success hasn't blinded him from his past. Today, he's a major
advocate of educational and youth programs in Kentucky,
provides equipment and scholarships to students throughout the
state, and funded a Holocaust Studies Program at his alma
mater.
Horatio Alger's stories, more than 120 published books in
all, emphasize themes of honesty, hard work, integrity, education
and perseverance in the face of adversity. Cundy's life began
in difficult circumstances. His commitment to his mother and
their small family's future, working while his friends were
having a good time, has many years later, led to his assisting
children in Kentucky. His unselfish giving to support education
and youth programming embodies the beliefs of the characters
brought to life on the pages of Alger's best works. Cundy's
is a true-life story of success.
|
