The North Carolina Award is the highest civilian award bestowed by the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. It is awarded in the four fields of science, literature, the fine arts, and public service. Sometimes referred to as the "

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

of North Carolina", the award has been given to up to nine individuals each year since 1964. The awards, provided for by chapters 140A and 143B of the North Carolina General Statutes, are chosen by the North Carolina Awards Committee appointed by the

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

and supervised by the

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is a cabinet-level department within the state government of North Carolina dedicated to overseeing projects in the arts, culture, and history within the borders of the state. The cur ...

. The award was designed by sculptor

Paul Manship Paul Howard Manship (December 24, 1885 – January 28, 1966) was an American sculptor. He consistently created mythological pieces in a classical style, and was a major force in the Art Deco movement. He is well known for his large public com ...

and was one of the last commissions he completed before his death.

History of the award

The award was proposed by state Senator Robert Lee Humber of Pitt County, who wanted to recognize people who had contributed to the betterment of North Carolina and inspire others. He won the award for public service in 1968. Biographical essays are available for each North Carolina Award recipient in the ceremony program for that year. Ceremony programs are onlin
through the North Carolina Digital Collections

Award winners

1960s

;1964: * Literature:

Inglis Fletcher Inglis Fletcher (October 20, 1879 – May 30, 1969) was an American writer. Early life Inglis Clark was born October 20, 1879, in Alton, Illinois, the daughter of Maurice W. Clark and Flora Chapman. Career Inglis Fletcher is known for numerous ...

* Science: John Couch * Fine Arts: Francis Speight * Public Service: John Morehead, Clarence Poe ;1965: * Literature: Paul Green, Gerald Johnson * Science: Frederick A. Wolf * Fine Arts: Hunter Johnson * Public Service:

Frank Porter Graham Frank Porter Graham (October 14, 1886 – February 16, 1972) was an American educator and political activist. A professor of history, he was elected President of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1930, and he later became the firs ...

;1966: * Literature: Bernice Kelly Harris * Science: Oscar Rice * Fine Arts: A.G. Odell, Jr., * Public Service:

Luther Hodges Luther Hartwell Hodges (March 9, 1898October 6, 1974) was a businessman and American politician. After a career in textile manufacturing, he entered public service, gaining some state appointments. Elected as lieutenant governor of North Carolin ...

;1967: * Literature: Jonathan Worth Daniels * Science:

Carl W. Gottschalk Carl William Gottschalk (April 28, 1922 – October 15, 1997) was the Kenan Professor and Distinguished Research Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gottschalk made important discoveries about the function o ...

H. Houston Merritt Hiram Houston Merritt Jr. (January 12, 1902, Wilmington, North Carolina – January 9, 1979 in Boston, Massachusetts) was one of the pre-eminent academic neurologists of his day. He was chair of the Neurological Institute of New York and Neurolog ...

* Fine Arts: Benjamin F. Swalin * Public Service: Albert Coates ;1968: * Literature: Vermont C. Royster, Charles Russell * Science: Stanley Stephens * Fine Arts: Hobson Pittman * Public Service: Robert Lee Humber ;1969: * Literature: Ovid Pierce, * Science: Kenneth Brinkhous * Fine Arts: Charles Stanford, Jr. * Public Service: May G. L. Kellenberger

1970s

;1970: * Literature:

Frances Gray Patton Mrs. Frances Gray Patton (March 19, 1906 – March 28, 2000) was an American short story writer and novelist. She is best known for her 1954 novel ''Good Morning Miss Dove.'' Biography She was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to Mr. Robert Lily, ...

* Science:

Philip Handler Philip Handler (August 13, 1917 – December 29, 1981) was an American nutritionist, and biochemist. He was President of the United States National Academy of Sciences for two terms from 1969 to 1981. He was also a recipient of the National Meda ...

* Fine Arts: Henry C. Pearson * Public Service:

Terry Sanford James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pre ...

;1971: * Literature: Guy Owen Novelist * Science: ''no award'' * Fine Arts: James Semans &

Mary Semans Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans (February 21, 1920 – January 25, 2012) was an American heiress, activist, politician, and philanthropist. She was the granddaughter of Benjamin N. Duke and the great-granddaughter of Washington Duke, both tob ...

* Public Service: Capus Waynick,

James E. Webb James Edwin Webb (October 7, 1906 – March 27, 1992) was an American government official who served as Undersecretary of State from 1949 to 1952. He was the second Administrator of NASA from February 14, 1961, to October 7, 1968. Webb led NAS ...

;1972: * Literature:

John Ehle John Marsden Ehle, Jr. (December 13, 1925 – March 24, 2018) was an American writer known best for his fiction set in the Appalachian Mountains of the American South. He has been described as "the father of Appalachian literature". Life and c ...

* Science: Edward David, Jr.,

Harold Hotelling Harold Hotelling (; September 29, 1895 – December 26, 1973) was an American mathematical statistician and an influential economic theorist, known for Hotelling's law, Hotelling's lemma, and Hotelling's rule in economics, as well as Hotelling's T ...

* Fine Arts:

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...

* Public Service: William Dallas Herring ;1973: * Literature: Helen Smith Bevington, Burke Davis * Science: Ellis Cowling * Fine Arts: Kenneth Ness * Public Service: Samuel J. Ervin ;1974: * Literature: Thad Stem, Jr. * Science:

James Wyngaarden James Barnes Wyngaarden (October 19, 1924 – June 14, 2019) was an American physician, researcher and academic administrator. He was a co-editor of '' Cecil Textbook of Medicine'', one of the leading internal medicine texts, and served as direc ...

* Fine Arts: William Fields * Public Service: Ellen Black Winston ;1975: * Literature:

Doris Betts Doris Betts (June 4, 1932 – April 21, 2012) was a short story writer, novelist, essayist and Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was the author of three short story collections and six novels ...

* Science: John Etchells * Fine Arts:

Robert Ward (composer) Robert Eugene Ward (September 13, 1917 – April 3, 2013) was an American composer who is best remembered for his opera ''The Crucible'' (1961) after the 1953 play of the same name by Arthur Miller. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music for ...

* Public Service:

William Friday William Clyde Friday (July 13, 1920 – October 12, 2012) was an American educator who served as the head of the University of North Carolina system from 1956 to 1986. He was born in Raphine, Virginia and raised in Dallas, North Carolina. Frid ...

;1976: * Literature: Richard Walser * Science:

C. Clark Cockerham Columbus Clark Cockerham (December 21, 1921 – November 4, 1996) was an American statistical geneticist known for his work in quantitative genetics. Early life and education Cockerham was born on December 21, 1921 in Mountain Park, North Carol ...

* Fine Arts:

Romare Bearden Romare Bearden (September 2, 1911 – March 12, 1988) was an American artist, author, and songwriter. He worked with many types of media including cartoons, oils, and collages. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bearden grew up in New York City a ...

Foster Fitz-Simons Foster may refer to: People * Foster (surname) * Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor * Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player * Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player * John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), American ...

* Public Service:

Juanita Kreps Clara Juanita Morris Kreps (January 11, 1921July 5, 2010) was an American economist, educator and businesswoman who served as the 24th United States secretary of commerce under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic ...

;1977: * Literature:

Reynolds Price Edward Reynolds Price (February 1, 1933 – January 20, 2011) was an American poet, novelist, dramatist, essayist and James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University. Apart from English literature, Price had a lifelong interest in Biblical ...

* Science:

Reginald Mitchiner Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language. Etymology and history The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...

* Fine Arts: Joseph Sloane, Jonathan Williams * Public Service:

Elizabeth Duncan Koontz Elizabeth Duncan Koontz (June 3, 1919 – January 6, 1989) was a national figure in education, civil rights and the women's movement. She was the first African-American president of the National Education Association and director of the United Stat ...

;1978: * Literature:

Manly Wade Wellman Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 – April 5, 1986) was an American writer. While his science fiction and fantasy stories appeared in such pulps as ''Astounding Stories'', ''Startling Stories'', ''Unknown'' and ''Strange Stories'', Wellman is ...

* Science:

David Sabiston, Jr. David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

* Fine Arts: Henry Kamphoefner * Public Service: Robert Garvey, Jr.,

Harriet Tynes Harriet(t) may refer to: * Harriet (name), a female name ''(includes list of people with the name)'' Places * Harriet, Queensland, rural locality in Australia * Harriet, Arkansas, unincorporated community in the United States * Harriett, Texas, ...

;1979: * Literature:

Harry Golden Harry Lewis Golden (May 6, 1902 – October 2, 1981) was an American writer and newspaper publisher. Early life Golden was born Herschel Goldhirsch (or Goldenhurst) in the shtetl Mikulintsy, Austria-Hungary. His mother Nuchama (nee Klein) was R ...

* Science:

Walter Gordy Walter Gordy, (April 20, 1909 – October 6, 1985) was an American physicist best known for his experimental work in microwave spectroscopy. His laboratory at Duke University became a center for research in this field, and he authored one of t ...

* Fine Arts:

Sam Ragan Samuel Talmadge Ragan (December 31, 1915 – May 11, 1996)Representative Eva Clayton of North Carolina''Tribute To Sam Ragan''(House of Representatives – May 16, 1996). Retrieved September 10, 2016. was an American journalist, author, poet, a ...

* Public Service: Archie Davis, John deButts

1980s

;1980: * Literature:

Fred Chappell Fred Davis Chappell (born May 28, 1936 in Canton, North Carolina) is an author and poet. He was an English professor for 40 years (1964–2004) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Poet Laureate of North Carolina from 1 ...

* Science:

George Hitchings George Herbert Hitchings (April 18, 1905 – February 27, 1998) was an American medical doctor who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir James Black and Gertrude Elion "for their discoveries of important principles for d ...

* Fine Arts:

Robert Lindgren (dancer) Robert R. Lindgren is an American lawyer and educator, and the 15th president of Randolph-Macon College. Education Lindgren graduated Omicron Delta Kappa from the University of Florida in 1976. While he was in college he became a member of the ...

* Public Service: Dan Moore, Jeanelle Moore ;1981: * Literature:

Glen Rounds Glen Harold Rounds (April 4, 1906 – September 27, 2002) was an American writer and illustrator. In a career that exceeded six decades, he wrote and illustrated well over 100 books. He was the recipient of more than 25 literary awards. Early l ...

Tom Wicker Thomas Grey Wicker (June 18, 1926 – November 25, 2011) was an American journalist. He was a political reporter and columnist for ''The New York Times''. Background and education Wicker was born in Hamlet, North Carolina. He was a graduate ...

* Science: Vivian Stannett * Fine Arts: Adeline McCall * Public Service: Ralph Scott ;1982: * Literature: Willie Snow Ethridge * Science: Floyd Denny, Jr. * Fine Arts:

Selma Burke Selma Hortense Burke (December 31, 1900 – August 29, 1995) was an American sculptor and a member of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Burke is best known for a bas relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt which may have been the model ...

, R. Philip Hanes, Jr. * Public Service: Nancy Chase ;1983: * Literature:

Heather Ross Miller Heather Ross Miller (born 1939) is an American writer. Miller was born in Albemarle, North Carolina. In 1961, she earned a bachelor's degree from Woman's College (now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro). She went on to earn an MFA in ...

* Science: Frank Guthrie * Fine Arts:

Mary Keesler Dalton Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

& Harry Lee Dalton * Public Service: Hugh Morton ;1984: * Literature: Joseph Mitchell,

Lee Smith Lee Smith is the name of: Arts, entertainment and media *Lee Smith (fiction author) (born 1944), American author of fiction *Lee Smith (film editor) (born 1960), Australian film editor *Lee Smith (musician) (born 1983), American drummer *Lee Smith ...

* Science: Robert Hill * Fine Arts:

Maud Gatewood Maud Florance Gatewood (January 8, 1934 – November 8, 2004) was an American artist from Yanceyville, North Carolina. She is regarded as one of the finest painters in North Carolina history by art historians, museum directors, curators, and co ...

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...

* Public Service:

George Watts Hill George Watts Hill (October 27, 1901 – January 20, 1993) was an American banker, hospital administrator and philanthropist who played a key role in the socioeconomic development of Durham, North Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Chapel ...

;1985: * Literature:

Wilma Dykeman Wilma Dykeman Stokely (May 20, 1920 – December 22, 2006) was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction whose works chronicled the people and land of Appalachia. Biography Dykeman grew up in the Beaverdam community of Buncombe County, Nor ...

* Science:

Irwin Fridovich Irwin Fridovich (August 2, 1929 – November 2, 2019) was an American biochemist who, together with his graduate student Joe M. McCord, discovered the enzymatic activity of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD),—to protect organisms from the ...

* Fine Arts:

Claude Howell Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

* Public Service: J. Gordon Hanes, Jr. ;1986: * Literature:

A.R. Ammons Archibald Randolph Ammons (February 18, 1926 – February 25, 2001) was an American poet who won the annual National Book Award for Poetry in 1973 and 1993. Poetic themes Ammons wrote about humanity's relationship to nature in alternately comic ...

* Science:

Ernest Eliel Ernest Ludwig Eliel (December 28, 1921 – September 18, 2008) was an organic chemist born in Cologne, Germany. Among his awards were the Priestley Medal in 1996

* Fine Arts:

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

* Public Service:

Joseph M. Bryan Joseph McKinley Bryan (February 11, 1896 – April 26, 1995) was an American insurance executive, broadcast pioneer, and philanthropist. Born in Elyria, Ohio, Bryan was the second son of Bart Bryan and Caroline Ebert Bryan. After serving ove ...

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

Emmett McRae ;1987: * Literature:

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

* Science:

Robert Lefkowitz Robert Joseph Lefkowitz (born April 15, 1943) is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his groundbreaking discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled recep ...

* Fine Arts:

Harvey Littleton Harvey Littleton (June 14, 1922 – December 13, 2013) was an American glass artist and educator, one of the founders of the studio glass movement; he is often referred to as the "Father of the Studio Glass Movement". Born in Corning, New Yor ...

* Public Service: John T. Caldwell,

Charles Kuralt Charles Bishop Kuralt (September 10, 1934 – July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on '' The CBS Evenin ...

;1988: * Literature: Charles Eaton * Science:

Pedro Cuatrecasas Pedro Cuatrecasas (born 27 September 1936) is an American biochemist and an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology & Medicine at the University of California San Diego. Birth and education Pedro Cuatrecasas was born in 1936 in Madrid, Spain. He com ...

* Fine Arts: Edith London * Public Service:

David Brinkley David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997. From 1956 through 1970, he co-anchored NBC's top-rated nightly news program, ''The Huntley–Brinkley Re ...

, William Lee ;1989: * Literature: Ronald Bayes * Science:

Gertrude Elion Gertrude "Trudy" Belle Elion (January 23, 1918 – February 21, 1999) was an American biochemist and pharmacologist, who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with George H. Hitchings and Sir James Black for their use of innovat ...

* Fine Arts:

Loonis McGlohon Loonis McGlohon (September 29, 1921 – January 26, 2002) was an American songwriter and jazz pianist. McGlohon was born in Ayden, North Carolina, and graduated from East Carolina University. After a spell in the Air Force during World War II, h ...

* Public Service: Roy Park, Maxine Swalin

1990s

;1990: * Literature:

Leon Rooke Leon Rooke, CM (born September 11, 1934) is a Canadian novelist. He was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina in the United States. Educated at the University of North Carolina, he moved to Canada in 1969. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario. Rook ...

* Science: H. Keith H. Brodie * Fine Arts: Bob Timberlake * Public Service:

Dean Colvard Dean Wallace Colvard (July 10, 1913 – June 28, 2007) was a president of Mississippi State University, notable for his role in a 1963 controversy surrounding the participation of the university's basketball team in the NCAA tournament. Early li ...

, Frank Kenan ;1991: * Literature: Robert Morgan * Science: Mary Ellen Jones * Fine Arts: William Brown * Public Service:

Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorn ...

, Jesse Meredith ;1992: * Literature:

Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Louis Decimus Rubin Jr. (November 19, 1923 – November 16, 2013) was a noted American literary scholar and critic, writing teacher, publisher, and writer. He is credited with helping to establish Southern literature as a recognized area of stud ...

* Science:

John Madey John M. J. Madey (28 February 1943 - 5 July 2016) was a professor of Physics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a former director of the Free Electron Laser Laboratory at Duke University, and formerly a professor (research) at Stanford Univers ...

* Fine Arts:

Chuck Davis (dancer) Charles Rudolph Davis, also known as Baba Chuck Davis, (January 1, 1937 – May 14, 2017) was an American dancer and choreographer whose work focused on traditional African dance. He was the founder of DanceAfrica, the Chuck Davis Dance Company a ...

* Public Service: William McWhorter Cochrane,

Maxwell Thurman Maxwell Reid Thurman (February 18, 1931 – December 1, 1995) was a United States Army general, who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army and commander of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. Early life and educati ...

;1993: * Literature:

John Hope Franklin John Hope Franklin (January 2, 1915 – March 25, 2009) was an American historian of the United States and former president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Histo ...

* Science:

Oliver Smithies Oliver Smithies (23 June 1925 – 10 January 2017) was a British-American geneticist and physical biochemist. He is known for introducing starch as a medium for gel electrophoresis in 1955, and for the discovery, simultaneously with Mario Capec ...

* Fine Arts: Joe Cox,

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...

* Public Service:

Eric Schopler Eric Schopler (February 8, 1927 – July 7, 2006) was a German born American psychologist whose pioneering research into autism led to the foundation of the TEACCH program. Personal life Eric Schopler was born February 8, 1927, in Fürth, Ger ...

;1994: * Literature: Elizabeth Spencer * Science:

Marshall Edgell Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

* Fine Arts:

Sarah Blakeslee Sarah Christine Blakeslee (born May 16, 1985, in Vancouver, Washington) is an American sport shooter. She won a silver medal in small-bore rifle three positions at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was select ...

* Public Service:

Richard Jenrette Richard Hampton Jenrette (April 5, 1929 – April 22, 2018) was an American businessman who co-founded the investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). Early life Jenrette was born on April 5, 1929, in Raleigh, North Carolina, the son of ...

, Freda Nicholson ;1995: * Literature: James Applewhite * Science: Clyde A. Hutchison, III, John Mayo * Fine Arts: John Biggers,

Kenneth Noland Kenneth Noland (April 10, 1924 – January 5, 2010) was an American painter. He was one of the best-known American color field painters, although in the 1950s he was thought of as an abstract expressionist and in the early 1960s he was though ...

* Public Service: Banks Talley, Jr. ;1996: * Literature: Betty Adcock * Science: Joseph Pagano * Fine Arts: Joanne Bath * Public Service: Martha McKay, John L. Sanders, Robert Scott ;1997: * Literature:

Clyde Edgerton Clyde Edgerton (born May 20, 1944) is an American author. He has published a dozen books, most of them novels, two of which have been adapted for film. He is also a professor, teaching creative writing. Biography Edgerton was born in Durham, N ...

* Science:

Robert Bruck The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

* Fine Arts: M. Mellanay Delhom * Public Service:

Thomas Kenan, III Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, Elna Spaulding ;1998: * Literature:

Kaye Gibbons Kaye Gibbons (born May 5, 1960) is an American novelist. Her first novel, ''Ellen Foster'' (1987), received the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, a Special Citation from the Ernest H ...

* Science:

Martin Rodbell Martin Rodbell (December 1, 1925 – December 7, 1998) was an American biochemist and molecular endocrinologist who is best known for his discovery of G-proteins. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Alfred G. Gilman fo ...

* Fine Arts: Robert Gray,

Marvin Saltzman Marvin may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography ;In the United States * Marvyn, Alabama, also spelled Marvin, an unincorporated community * Marvin, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Marvin, North Carolina, a village * Marvin, South Dakota, a town ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

* Public Service:

Emily Harris Preyer Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * Emily (1964 song), "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * Emily (Dave Koz son ...

L. Richardson Preyer Lunsford Richardson Preyer (January 11, 1919 – April 3, 2001) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and later a United States representative from North Carolina. Educat ...

;1999: * Literature:

Allan Gurganus Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) ( ...

Jill McCorkle Jill Collins McCorkle (July 7, 1958 Lumberton, North Carolina) is an American short story writer and novelist. She graduated from University of North Carolina, in 1980, where she studied with Max Steele, Lee Smith, and Louis D. Rubin. She als ...

* Science:

Robert Parr Robert Ghormley Parr (September 22, 1921 – March 27, 2017) was an American theoretical chemist who was a Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Career Parr received an A. B. degree ''magna cum laude'' ...

Knut Schmidt-Nielsen Knut Schmidt-Nielsen (September 24, 1915 – January 25, 2007) was a prominent figure in the field of comparative physiology and Professor of Physiology Emeritus at Duke University. Background Born in Trondheim, Norway. He was educated in Oslo and ...

* Fine Arts: Frank L. Horton, Herb Jackson * Public Service: Julia Jones Daniels, Frank Daniels, Jr., Henry Shelton

2000s

;2000: * Literature:

William S. Powell William Stevens Powell (April 28, 1919 – April 10, 2015) was an American historian, writer, academic, and teacher. He authored over 600 articles and books about the history of North Carolina and was the editor of the six volume ''Dictionary of ...

* Science: William Fletcher * Fine Arts:

S. Tucker Cooke S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s formerly used where "s ...

* Public Service: Henry Bowers, Harlan E. Boyles,

James Goodmon James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

;2001: * Literature:

Kathryn Stripling Byer Kathryn Stripling Byer (November 25, 1944 – June 5, 2017), also called Kay Byer, was an American poet and teacher. She was named by Governor Mike Easley as the fifth North Carolina Poet Laureate from 2005 to 2009. She was the first woman to ho ...

, Shelby Stephenson * Science: Royce W. Murray * Fine Arts: Arthur Smith * Public Service: W.W. Finlator,

Robert Jordan, III Robert Byrd Jordan III (October 11, 1932 – February 16, 2020) was an American politician who served as the 29th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina for one term (1985–1989) under Governor James G. Martin and who unsuccessfully ran for Gove ...

;2002: * Literature: Romulus Linney * Science:

William Anlyan William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

* Fine Arts:

Cynthia Bringle Cynthia Bringle (born 1939) was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and has lived and worked in Penland, North Carolina since 1970. She is a potter and teaches at the Penland School of Crafts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and John C. Campbell Folk Schoo ...

, Martha Nell Hardy * Public Service:

Julius L. Chambers Julius LeVonne Chambers (October 6, 1936 – August 2, 2013) was an American lawyer, civil rights leader and educator. Early life and education Chambers grew up during the Jim Crow era in rural Montgomery County, North Carolina. As a child, Cham ...

, H. G. Jones, Edwin Wilson ;2003: * Literature: Jaki Shelton Green * Science:

William E. Thornton William Edgar Thornton (April 14, 1929 – January 11, 2021) was an American NASA astronaut. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from University of North Carolina and a doctorate in medicine, also from UNC. He flew on ''Challeng ...

* Fine Arts:

Etta Baker Etta Baker (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) was an American Piedmont blues guitarist and singer from North Carolina. Early life and career She was born Etta Lucille Reid in Caldwell County, North Carolina, of African-American, Native A ...

, Mary Ann Scherr * Public Service: Frank Borden Hanes,

James B. Hunt, Jr. James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history. Hunt is t ...

;2004: * Literature:

Walter J. Harrelson Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, Penelope Niven * Science: Annie Louise Wilkerson * Fine Arts:

William Ivey Long William Ivey Long (born August 30, 1947) is an American costume designer for stage and film. His most notable work includes the Broadway shows '' The Producers'', ''Hairspray'', ''Nine'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Grey Gardens'', ''Young Frankenstein' ...

Elizabeth Matheson Elizabeth Matheson (born 1942) is a prominent photographer in North Carolina. Early life and education Elizabeth Matheson was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She earned a bachelor's degree from Sweet Briar College in 1964 before attendin ...

* Public Service: Voit Gilmore,

LeRoy T. Walker LeRoy T. Walker (June 14, 1918 – April 23, 2012) was an American track and field coach and the first black president of the United States Olympic Committee. In the 1996 Olympics, Walker was delegated to lead a 10,000 member group of the m ...

;2005: * Literature:

Randall Kenan Randall Kenan (March 12, 1963 – August 28, 2020) was an American author. Born in Brooklyn, New York, at six weeks old Kenan moved to Duplin County, North Carolina, a small rural community, where he lived with his grandparents in a town named ...

* Science: Mansukh C. Wani * Fine Arts: Bland Simpson * Public Service: Joseph M. Bryan, Jr., Betty Debnam Hunt, Thomas Willis Lambeth ;2006: * Literature: Emily Herring Wilson,

Michael F. Parker Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

* Science: Charles A. Sanders * Fine Arts:

William T. Williams William T. Williams (born 1942) is an American painter and educator. He is known for his process-based approach to painting that engages motifs drawn from personal memory and cultural narrative to create non-referential, abstract compositions. ...

* Public Service: Roy Park, Jr., James E. Holshouser, Jr., Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. ;2007: * Literature:

William Leuchtenburg William Edward Leuchtenburg (born September 28, 1922) is an American historian. He is the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a leading scholar of the life and career of Fr ...

* Science: Viney Aneja, Darrel Stafford * Fine Arts: Jan Davidson,

Rosemary Harris Rosemary Ann Harris (born 19 September 1927) is an English actress. She is the recipient of such accolades as a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In ...

* Public Service: Jerry C. Cashion,

Henry Frye Henry E. Frye (born August 1, 1932) is an American judge and politician who served as the first African-American chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Early life and education Henry Frye was born August 1, 1932, in Ellerbe, Richmond ...

Burley Mitchell Burley Bayard Mitchell Jr. (born December 15, 1940) is an American jurist and former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. He received his bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University and his J.D. degree from the Universit ...

Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co-an ...

;2008: * Literature:

Charles Frazier Charles Frazier (born November 4, 1950) is an American novelist. He won the 1997 National Book Award for Fiction for '' Cold Mountain''. Biography Early life Frazier was born in Asheville, North Carolina, grew up in Andrews and Franklin, North ...

Margaret Maron Margaret Maron (''née'' Brown; August 25, 1938 – February 23, 2021) was an American writer, the author of award-winning mystery novels. Biography Maron was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and grew up in central Johnston County; she had al ...

* Science:

Maurice Brookhart Maurice S. Brookhart (born 1942) is an American chemist, and professor of chemistry at the University of Houston since 2015. Brookhart received his bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. He received his PhD in 1968 from the U ...

* Fine Arts:

Gerald Freedman Gerald Alan Freedman (June 25, 1927 – March 17, 2020) was an American theatre director, librettist, and lyricist, and a college dean. Life and career Freedman was born in Lorain, Ohio, the son of Fannie (Sepenswol), a history teacher, and Barn ...

, Alexander M. Rivera Jr. * Public Service:

Ann Goodnight Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

James G. Martin James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the ...

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...

, Fred and Alice Stanback ;2009: * Literature:

Gerald Barrax Gerald William Barrax (June 21, 1933 – December 7, 2019) was an American poet and educator. His poems appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. He was recognized by several awards, including the Raleigh Medal of Arts for "Extraordinary A ...

* Science: Joseph M. DeSimone * Fine Arts: Mark Peiser,

Bo Thorp Bo or BO may refer to Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre * Box office, where tickets to an event are sold, and by extension, the amount of business a production receives *'' BA:BO'', 2008 South Korean film * ''Bo'' (film), a ...

* Public Service:

Betty Ray McCain Betty Landon Ray McCain (born Betty Landon Ray; February 23, 1931 – November 23, 2022) was an American politician and political strategist. She was the North Carolina Secretary of Cultural Resources during Governor Jim Hunt's administration a ...

, Hugh L. McColl, Jr.

2010s

;2010 * Literature:

Carole Boston Weatherford Carole Boston Weatherford is an African-American author and critic, now living in North Carolina, United States. She is the winner of the 2022 Coretta Scott King Award for ''Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre.'' She writes children's literatur ...

* Science: F. Ivy Carroll * Fine Arts:

Robert Ebendorf Robert Ebendorf (born September 30, 1938) is an Americans, American metalsmith and jeweler, known for craft, art and studio jewelry, often using found objects. In 2003–2004, the Smithsonian American Art Museum organized an exhibition of 95 piece ...

Donald Sultan Donald K. Sultan (born 1951) is an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, particularly well-known for large-scale still life paintings and the use of industrial materials such as tar, enamel, spackle and vinyl tiles. He has been exhibiting ...

* Public Service: R. Michael Leonard, Margaret S. "Tog" Newman ;2011 * Literature:

Ron Rash Ron Rash (born September 25, 1953), is an American poet, short story writer and novelist, is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University. Early life Rash was born on September 25, 1953, in C ...

* Science:

Trudy Mackay Trudy Frances Charlene Mackay (born 10 September 1952) is the director of Clemson University's Center for Human Genetics located on the campus of the Greenwood (S.C.) Genetic Center. She is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities o ...

* Fine Arts:

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

Vollis Simpson Vollis Simpson (1919 – May 31, 2013) was an American "outsider" folk artist known for large kinetic sculptures called "whirligigs", which Simpson made from salvaged metal. He lived and worked in Lucama, North Carolina. Many of his large ...

* Public Service: Charles E. Hammer, Jr., H. Martin Lancaster ;2012 * Literature: Gary Neil Carden * Science:

B. Jayant Baliga Bantval Jayant Baliga (born in Chennai) is an Indian electrical engineer best known for his work in power semiconductor devices, and particularly the invention of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). Dr. B. Jayant Baliga wrote: "Power ...

* Fine Arts:

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

, Thomas H. Sayre * Public Service:

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter Mary Bonneau "Bonnie" McElveen-Hunter (born June 29, 1950) is an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and diplomat who is the first female chair of the board of governors of the American Red Cross. She is the founder and CEO of Pace Commun ...

, Janice H. Faulkner ;2013 * Literature:

John Hart (author) John Hart (born 1965) is an American author of thriller novels. His books take place in North Carolina, where he was born and once lived. He presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a 1988 graduate of Davidson College. His work has be ...

* Science: Myron S. Cohen * Fine Arts: John Cram * Public Service:

Phil Kirk Phillip J. Kirk Jr. (born November 24, 1944) is a North Carolina political figure. He is a former chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education (1997–2003) and a former president of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce (then known ...

, John Harding Lucas,

Walt Wolfram Walt Wolfram (; born February 15, 1941) is an American sociolinguist specializing in social and ethnic dialects of American English. He was one of the early pioneers in the study of urban African American English through his work in Detroit in 19 ...

;2014 * Literature: Lenard Moore, Alan Shapiro * Science: Jagdish Narayan * Fine Arts: Ira David Wood III * Public Service: Betsy M. Bennett,

Robert A. Ingram The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

;2015 * Literature:

Anthony S. Abbott Anthony "Tony" S. Abbott was an American college professor and writer. He taught at Davidson College for over 41 years. He received the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2015, the highest award bestowed to a civilian by the State of North C ...

* Science:

Anthony Atala Anthony Atala, M.D., (born July 14, 1958) is an American bioengineer, urologist, and pediatric surgeon. He is the W.H. Boyce professor of urology, the founding director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the chair of th ...

* Fine Arts:

A. Everette James A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of ...

Patricia McBride Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's ...

* Public Service:

James T. Broyhill James Thomas Broyhill (born August 19, 1927) is an American former businessman and Republican U.S. Representative and Senator from the state of North Carolina. He represented much of the Foothills region of the state in the House from 1963 t ...

, Howard N. Lee ;2016 * Literature: Joseph Bathanti * Science:

Linda Birnbaum Linda Silber Birnbaum is an American toxicologist, microbiologist and the former director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, as well as the National Toxicology Program, positions she held from January 18, 2009 until Octo ...

Aziz Sancar Aziz Sancar (born 8September 1946) is a Turkish molecular biologist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and circadian clock. In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for t ...

Paul L. Modrich Paul Lawrence Modrich (born June 13, 1946) is an American biochemist, James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is known for his research on DNA mismatch repair. Modric ...

* Fine Arts:

Assad Meymandi Asad ( ar, أسد), sometimes written as Assad, is an Arabic male given name literally meaning "lion". It is used in nicknames such as ''Asad Allāh'', one of the by-names for Ali ibn Abi Talib. People Among prominent people named ''Asad'', " ...

* Public Service: Robert J. Brown (businessman),

Jim Gardner (politician) James Carson Gardner (born April 8, 1933) is an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative (1967–1969) and as the 30th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (1989–1993). Early life Gardner was born in Rocky Moun ...

;2017 * Literature:

Margaret Donovan Bauer Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

* Science: R.K.M. Jayanty * Fine Arts:

Philip Freelon Philip Goodwin Freelon (March 26, 1953 – July 9, 2019) was an American architect. He was best known for leading the design team (with J. Max Bond Jr. of Davis Brody Bond, and David Adjaye) of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of ...

* Public Service:

Loretta E. Lynch Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is an American lawyer who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to succeed Eric Holder and previously served as the Un ...

, Jane Smith Patterson, James H. Woodward ;2018 * Literature:

Michael McFee Michael McFee is a poet and essayist from Asheville, North Carolina. Career McFee earned his B.A. (1976) and M.A. (1978) from UNC-Chapel Hill. He left graduate school to work a variety of jobs—editorial assistant, librarian, and freelance journ ...

* Fine Arts: Bill Leslie, Barbara B. Millhouse * Public Service: Carolyn Q. Coleman, William L. Roper, Gene Roberts ;2019 * Literature: Philip Gerard * Fine Arts: Lawrence J. Wheeler * Public Service: Deborah S. Proctor * Science: Catherine M. Wilfert, M.D.

2020s

;2020 * Science: Ralph S. Baric, Francis S. Collins, Kizzmekia S. Corbett ;2021 * Fine Arts: David Holt * Literature:

André Leon Talley André Leon Talley (October 16, 1948 – January 18, 2022) was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of ''Vogue'' magazine. He was the magazine's fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, its first Africa ...

, Timothy B. Tyson * Public Service: Dudley E. Flood, Maria F. Spaulding * Science: Blake S. Wilson

References

External links

NC Awards page
at the NC Dept of Cultural Resources
NC Awards page
at the NCpedia {{Paul Manship, state=collapsed Awards established in 1964 1964 establishments in North Carolina Government of North Carolina North Carolina culture State awards and decorations of the United States Works by Paul Manship

History of the award

Award winners

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

References

External links