List of Order of the Long Leaf Pine recipients

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is granted by the Governor of North Carolina and is the state's highest civilian honor. Although the award was first given in 1964, records of recipients were not kept until 1983. Following is a partial list of its recipients.

RecipientAward yearNotability1981–82 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team19821982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament National Champions; Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Champions and Regular Season Co-championsCharles W. AlbertsonNorth Carolina SenateElreta Alexander-Ralston1995Trial attorney and North Carolina District Court JudgeGordon P. Allen2010North Carolina SenateJo Allen2024President of Meredith CollegeAmerican Red Cross1982Humanitarian organizationMaya Angelou1992Poet, author, and civil rights activistBalsam Range2015Bluegrass bandWilliam Barber II2010Minister and political activistHarry BelafonteCalypso singer and actorJack Betts2006Journalist and associate editor of The Charlotte ObserverDan Blue2003Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina SenateBlue Angels2003United States Navy flight demonstration squadronJohn Baker 1971, 1987, 2004Professional football player and Wake County SheriffGeorge W. BonDurant2009Founder and first president of Atlanta Christian College and Mid-Atlantic Christian UniversityCharlie Boney2014ArchitectRod Brind'Amour2024Professional hockey player and coachWatson Brown2014PhotographerJim Broyhill1992United States House of Representatives and United States SenatePeter S. Brunstetter2016North Carolina SenateWanda G. Bryant1980Associate judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals Shirley Caesar1979, 1995, 2016Grammy Awards winning Gospel singerIsabella Cannon1999First female Mayor of Raleigh, North CarolinaRod Carew1984Baseball player and coachFred Chappell2003North Carolina Poet LaureateRichard Childress1994NASCAR race car driver and businessmanShirley ChisholmFirst Black woman to be elected to the United States CongressJanice Cole2001United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaLinda Combs2022Comptroller of the Office of Management and Budget Bonnie Ethel Cone2003Founder of the University of North Carolina at CharlotteJanet Cowell2017North Carolina State Treasurer and North Carolina SenateDavid Crabtree2022Journalist and lead anchor of WRAL-TVJoan CrawfordActressPaul R. Cunningham2016Dean of The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University Margaret Currin2015First woman United States Attorney in North CarolinaCharlie Daniels1984Singer, musician, and songwriter Frank A. Daniels Jr.1995Publisher of The News and ObserverChuck Davis2007DancerCrash Davis1979Minor League Baseball playerClaude DeBruhl1981North Carolina House of Representatives and veterans advocateRuby Dee2000ActressWalter Dellinger2010Acting United States Solicitor General and law professorWalter DeVries1998Political consultant and founder of the North Carolina Institute of Political LeadershipJames Dodson 2012Sports writerPhil Donahue1982Talk show host and writerPhilip L. Dubois2020President of the University of Wyoming and chancellor of the University of North Carolina at CharlotteDale Earnhardt1994NASCAR stock car racing driver and racing team ownerDale Earnhardt Jr.2018NASCAR stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcasterThereasea Elder2001First African American public health nurse in Charlotte, North CarolinaKarl Eikenberry2016United States Army lieutenant general and former U.S. Ambassador to AfghanistanMyrlie Evers-Williams1995Civil rights activistS. Scott Ferebee Jr.2001ArchitectTom Fetzer1992Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina and chairman of the North Carolina Republican PartyAllison Fisher2026Professional billiards and snooker playerGerald FordPresident of the United StatesJohn Hope Franklin1995Historian and writerWilliam C. Friday2004Head of the University of North Carolina system from 1956 to 1986Shirley Fulton2011First African American female judge in the North Carolina Superior CourtRoman Gabriel1988Professional football playerNorman C. Gaddis2023United States Air Force Brigadier GeneralClarence Gaines1979, 1988, 1993Mens basketball coach at Winston-Salem State UniversityHarvey Gantt1984Architect and the first black Mayor of Charlotte, North CarolinaJohn Glenn1979NASA astronaut and United States SenateDanny Glover2003ActorJeff Gordon2016NASCAR stock car racing driver and stock car racing executive Tipper Gore1997Second Lady of the United States and co-founder of the Parents Music Resource CenterBilly Graham1996Evangelist, Southern Baptist minister, and civil rights advocateFranklin Graham2015Christian Evangelist and missionaryWilliam A. Griffin2010Preacher and president of Mid-Atlantic Christian University Andy Griffith2012ActorPhilip F. Gura2019Cultural historian and academicLloyd V. Hackley1992Chancellor of Fayetteville State University and president of the North Carolina Community College System Hackley to Serve as Interim Chancellor of FSU Bob Hall 2017Executive Director of Democracy North CarolinaMia Hamm1995Professional soccer playerBob Harris 2017SportscasterFletcher L. Hartsell Jr.1992North Carolina SenateNathan O. Hatch2021President of Wake Forest UniversityMerlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll1986Earl of ErrollRick Hendrick1996NASCAR racing driver and team ownerGeorge M. Holmes1992North Carolina House of RepresentativesJames Holshouser1983Governor of North CarolinaJonathan Howes1997Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesEngelbert HumperdinkPop singerCatfish HunterProfessional baseball playerWilliam E. Ingram Jr.1995Lieutenant General and director of the Army National GuardJesse Jackson1982Civil rights activist and shadow congressperson for Washington, D.C.J. Charles Jennette2020Nephropathologist, academic, and authorGeorge Jessel1979Vaudeville performer and actorJunior Johnson1984NASCAR stock car racing driver and team owner George Jones1970Country musicianWilbur D. Jones Jr.2023Author, military historian, and preservationistMichael Jordan1985College and professional basketball playerAsheville Citizen-Times, Jon Ostendorf, Jan 5, 2007.Alexander Julian1980Fashion designerRalph Ketner2015Founder of Food LionJean-Claude KillyOlympic Alpine skierCoretta Scott King2002Civil rights leader and wife of Martin Luther King Jr.Earline Heath King2003SculptorFred Kirby1980Singer-songwriterMike Krzyzewski2022College basketball coachI. Beverly Lake Jr.2006Chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme CourtBill Leslie2018News anchor for WRAL-TV and New-age music recording artistWilliam Ivey Long2001Costume designerBetty Lynn2016ActressDoug Marlette2007Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonistJohn C. Martin2014Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of AppealsDavid T. McCoy2000N.C. State Controller and Secretary of the North Carolina Department of TransportationScotty McCreery2017Country music singerMike McIntyre2014U.S. House of RepresentativesKenneth MerrittParachutistMary Lee MillsNurseRonnie Milsap1984Country music singerMichael A. Milton2018Minister, theologian, and singer-songwriterBurley Mitchell1992Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme CourtJerry Moore 2012Football player and coachHugh Morton1984Photographer and conservationist who developed Grandfather MountainLynn Morton2022President of Warren Wilson CollegeWendell H. Murphy1992North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate Bess Myerson1979Miss America, model, and television actress Hal Needham1983Stunt performer and film directorLeslie NielsenActorVirginia Newell2017Mathematics educator, author, and politicianEdward Francis North, Earl of Guilford 19829th Earl of Guilford Margaret Nygard1995Educator and conservationistCarmen Hooker Odom2007Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human ServicesBenny Parsons2007NASCAR driver and pit reporterItzhak Perlman1983ViolinistGaylord PerryProfessional baseball playerRichard Petty1988NASCAR stock car racing driverGary Player1983Professional golferSidney Poitier1993Actor and diplomatArt Pope1992North Carolina House of Representatives and businessmanColin Powell1993United States secretary of state Marc Pruett2015Bluegrass banjo playerNido Qubein2005Businessman and motivational speakerAndré Raphel2001Conductor, Boston Symphony OrchestraJames E. Ramsey2012Speaker of the North Carolina House of RepresentativesRobert Redford1984Actor and filmmakerLee H. Roberts201613th chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.John Shelton Reed2023Sociologist, essayist, and author William Rehnquist1994Chief Justice of the United StatesGene Roberts 2015National and executive editor of The New York TimesKenny Rogers1982Country music singer and songwriterThomas Warren Ross1999President of the University of North Carolina systemRobert W. Scott1971Governor of North CarolinaEarl Scruggs1984Bluegrass musicianHugh SheltonChairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffClaude Sitton1985The New York Times reporter and editor, The News & Observer editorEnos Slaughter1983Professional baseball playerArthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith1984Composer, musician, and record producerDean Smith1988College basketball coachJames Smith1993, 1995Boxer and World Boxing Association heavyweight championMike Sprayberry1998North Carolina Emergency management directorTed G. Stone1999EvangelistCurtis Strange1991Professional golferBen C. Sutton Jr.2014Investor, philanthropist, and the founder of Teall CapitalWendell Tabb2022Theater teacherBob Timberlake2006ArtistPatricia Timmons-Goodson1999, 2005North Carolina Supreme Court and federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaRandy Travis1987Country music and gospel music singerLanny Wadkins1988Professional golferGeorge Walker1997Classical composer and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for MusicJerry M. Wallace2015President of Campbell UniversityRusty Wallace2005NASCAR racing driverEdith D. Warren2012North Carolina General AssemblyRobert D. Warren Sr.2005North Carolina SenateDoc Watson1999Grammy Awards winning bluegrass singer and songwriterNorman Adrian Wiggins1976, 1980, 1996, 1998 President of Campbell UniversityLaura I. Wiley2016North Carolina House of RepresentativesHarvey D. Williams1996U.S. Army major general and first African-American commander of Fort MyerTed Williams1981Professional baseball playerTennessee Williams1981Playwright and screenwriterOprah Winfrey1987Talk show host, actress, producer, and author Leslie Winner1999North Carolina Senate and general counsel and vice president for the University of North Carolina systemJeremiah Wolfe2017Cherokee stonecutter, stickball caller, and storytellerIra David Wood III1994Actor, playwright, and executive director of Theatre in the ParkJames Worthy1985College and professional basketball playerAldona Wos2015United States Ambassador to Estonia and Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human ServicesTammy Wynette1970Country music singerAndrew Young2002Civil rights activist, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the Mayor of Atlanta

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