The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, created in 1964, is an honor that can be granted in the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. As of 2021, it was believed the

Order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

had been awarded to more than 21,000 people.

The Order

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is among the most prestigious awards presented 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, ...

. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Contributions to their communities, extra effort in their careers, and many years of service to their organizations are some of the guidelines by which recipients are selected for this award. The honor is most often presented when a person retires. A state employee can be awarded with the order if the employee has contributed more than 30 years of dedicated and enthusiastic service to the state of North Carolina. The Order is similar to honors bestowed in other states, such as the

Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) i ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

's Order of the Palmetto. The Order began as a symbolic honor for visiting dignitaries, but later it became an honor for notable North Carolinians. Although sometimes called the state's highest civilian honor in an order of precedence, that distinction legally belongs to the North Carolina Award.News & Observer: And his little dog, too...
/ref> After the North Carolina Award and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the next award in order of precedence is the Old North State Award and then the Cardinal Award, all of which are bestowed by the Governor of North Carolina.

Notable recipients

Certificate

The certificate reads in part:

Reposing special confidence in the integrity, learning and zeal of onoree I he Governor of North Carolinado by these presents confer The Order of the Long Leaf Pine with the rank of
Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...
Extraordinary, privileged to enjoy fully all rights granted to members of this exalted order, among which is the special privilege to propose the following North Carolina toast in select company anywhere in the free world:

This is the first verse of the official toast of North Carolina, from a poem by Leonora Monteiro Martin.

The Old North State Award

Following the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in North Carolina's order of precedence is the Old North State Award. This award may be granted for any number of reasons. Since January 2017, when Roy Cooper became Governor of North Carolina, it is awarded for 20 years of service. During the terms of earlier governors it was awarded without an explicit requirement of service duration . The certificate for The Old North State Award reads as follows:

References

{{reflist

External links

The Long Leaf Pine Society
Government of North Carolina North Carolina culture State awards and decorations of the United States 1964 establishments in North Carolina Awards established in 1964