Lee F. Flaherty*

Nebraska-born Lee Flaherty was the youngest of three sons of a farm laborer who abandoned his family when young Flaherty was only four. To support her children, Flaherty's mother, Frances, worked two jobs until she remarried and the family moved to Richmond, California, where Flaherty's stepfather taught him the value of character. By the age of eight, the boy was selling newspapers at Kaiser's Shipyards and then worked at a drugstore after school and on weekends for 10 years.

When the Korean War started, Flaherty volunteered as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army's 11th Airborne Division. Flaherty, whose nickname was "Flair", was also an All-Service Middleweight Champion in boxing. He received an honorable discharge, went back to work at the drugstore, attended the University of California at Berkeley on the GI bill, graduated with a marketing degree, and worked in Chicago for seven years.

In 1964, Flaherty's stepfather died, and his mother mortgaged her home as a startup for his marketing agency. She advised him to work hard with pride, discipline, integrity and to always give back. He founded Flair Communications in a dilapidated 1883 building in a neglected Chicago neighborhood, repaid his mother's $8,000 loan, and put her on a lifetime payroll.

The once-dilapidated building became known as Flair House, and the innovation center is named the Frances Room. The building has received eight awards, including a designation as one of the Top Ten Working Environments in America, as well as the National Gold Award for Victorian Preservation.

The Illinois Landmarks Council named Flaherty a "Chicago Legend" for revitalizing River North, and he was voted Chicago's Towering Citizen twice. He was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame; was a Jack LaLanne endurance champion; and was a lifetime member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. The Chicago City Council renamed part of Erie Street as Lee F. Flaherty Way. He was also a Master Knight of Malta at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

In 1977, Flaherty founded the Chicago Marathon, which raises $16 million a year for charities. In 1985, he established the Old St. Pat's "World's Largest Block Party," with funds going to construct the Frances Xavier Warde School. In 1999, he created the "Cows on Parade" auction, raising $11 million in funds, and in 2001, he created the Paws 4K Dog Walk to help build a clinic and adoption center.

Asked about his Horatio Alger Award, Flaherty said, "I firmly believe in what the Association is doing to help deserving youth receive an education. It is also an honor to be associated with such a group of outstanding Members."