Electronic Commerce Pioneer Pete Kight of Fiserv, Inc. Receives 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Business Wire,  May 16, 2008  

Tags: Fiserv Inc.

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- CheckFree Founder and former CEO, now Vice Chairman of Fiserv honored at event -

NEW YORK -- Peter J. Kight, vice chairman of Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), was among this year's recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor presented by the National Ethnic Coalition (NECO) on May 10th in New York City. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is awarded to outstanding Americans who have distinguished themselves as citizens of the United States and have enabled their ancestry groups to maintain their identities while becoming integral parts of American life. Kight founded CheckFree, the electronic payment company in 1981, and was its CEO until Fiserv acquired CheckFree in December 2007.

In addition to Kight, this year's recipients included former US Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell; Gen. Duncan J. McNabb - US Air Force Vice Chief of Staff; Human Rights Activist and Genocide Survivor Advocate Jacqueline Murekatete; Country Entertainer Randy Owen; NYT-best-selling author and health expert Dr. Mehmet Oz; Pittsburg Steelers Owner Dan Rooney; Actor and Founder "Operation Iraqi Children" Gary Sinise; and WWII Veteran, Olympian & Motivational Speaker Louis Zamperini.

They received their awards at the annual ceremony filled with patriotic pageantry at Ellis Island which was followed by a gala reception in Ellis Island's Great Hall. The evening's events were capped by a spectacular fireworks display in New York Harbor.

"Pete Kight is known for both his professional successes and his acts of philanthropy - which have helped those in need here in America and abroad. Recipients join a prestigious list of Americans who have been honored for fostering goodwill and making their communities and the world a better place," explains National Ethnic Coalition Executive Director Rosemarie Taglione.

"Pete Kight now belongs to a list of distinguished honorees who exemplify the American Dream. I congratulate them and thank him for his continued efforts that touch the lives of so many. You make America proud," Nasser J. Kazeminy, NECO Co-Chairman, added.

Kight founded CheckFree in his grandmother's basement in Columbus, Ohio in 1981, initially to automate health club dues. Over the next 26 years the company became the leader in financial electronic commerce and provided the infrastructure behind thousands of online banking and bill payment services offered by banks, credit unions and companies that send bills. Kight's view of paperless bills and payments has long included environmental benefits; and it's been estimated that 100 million trees have been saved by the company's electronic payment services. CheckFree's walk-in bill payment services enable Americans who don't have bank accounts to pay their bills securely and build positive payment histories. Kight and his family have supported a number of philanthropic causes, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Atlanta, Georgia.

The 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients participated in a first-of-its-kind project that partnered NECO with Zentangle, Inc. founders Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas to create an actual mosaic that links each medalist to one another and serves as a visual metaphor that illustrates how each medalist's qualities contribute to the collective American mosaic. To view the "Our American Mosaic," created by the Medalists and their families, and other Ellis Island Medal of Honor-inspired Zentangle[TM] images go to www.zentangle.com.

Established in 1986 by NECO, the Ellis Island Medals of Honor pay tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America's unique cultural mosaic. To date, more than 1,000 American citizens, including former Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon; Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist; Muhammad Ali; Rosa Parks; Elie Wiesel; Frank Sinatra; Bob Hope; Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the 61st Session of the UN General Assembly; and Quincy Jones, have received medals.

Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients are selected each year through a national nomination process. Screening committees from NECO's member organizations select the final nominees, who are then considered by the Board of Directors. Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have officially passed resolutions recognizing the Ellis Island Medals of Honor, which rank among this country's most prestigious awards. Each year, Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients are listed in the Congressional Record, honoring those who have made enduring contributions to our nation and to the world.

NECO's mission is to create the world of the future today, by honoring our diverse past, advocating for positive change in the present, and building strong leaders for the future. The foundation partners with a wide variety of organizations, both national and international. It supports diverse ethnic cultural events, sponsors life-saving surgery for children, assists emergency relief efforts worldwide, and produces educational materials and programs that mentor youth to become the leaders of tomorrow. NECO continues its long-standing commitment to Ellis Island, including a pledge to raise $2 million for The Peopling of America[R] Center - an exhibit that will expand upon the Ellis Island years of immigration with a special focus on the stories of the New Americans.