Here's to the land of the long leaf pine, Television and motion picture personalities Andy Griffith and Anne Jeffreys and network news anchor David Brinkley were among the honorees present for this April 28 televised event hosted by Governor Sanford. State Government websites value user privacy. The Old North State Award is presented by the governor to recognize dedication and service beyond expectation and excellence to the Great State of North Carolina.Nominations can be made for individuals who have20 or more years of servicein the State of North Carolina. The poem became almost instantly ubiquitous in association with patriotic and nostalgic feelings for the state, and within a few years it appeared on postcards and in anthologies. The certificate for The Old North State Award reads as follows: For dedication and service beyond expectation and excellence to the Great State of North Carolina, on behalf of the citizens of this state, I bestow upon: 'Working together, we can make North Carolina the place of unlimited opportunity---- a place where anyone who studies hard, works hard and lives a life with high values can fulfill and even exceed their potential. Following the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in North Carolina's order of precedence is the Old North State Award. Despite their exclusive membership rosters at the time, today being named an Honorary Tar Heel is intended as a comical way to make a nonresident an honorary citizen, and the Ambassador of Good Will designation and Prodigal Son award soon ceased to exist. These submissions must be accompanied by a biography of the nominee and a statement of service from Human Resources on letterhead, if available. Nominations are made to the Office of the Governor. A North Carolina native, lifelong resident and former state government executive, he has been honored by North Carolina governors with both The Order of the Long Leaf Pine and The Old North State awards. One can only imagine that with the elimination of the Ambassador of Good Will and short-lived Prodigal Son designations and the diminution of the Honorary Tar Heel status, and the popularity in other states of awards programs like the Honorary Order of Kentucky Colonels, and the recent adoption of the (longleaf) pine as the state tree, Director Parker with the blessing of Governor Sanford conceived The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award primarily to promote the state to its visitors and friends. During the terms of earlier governors it was awarded without an explicit requirement of service duration . Recommendations cannot be submitted by parents or other family members. Since its creation in 1963, it has been presented to honor persons who have a proven record of service to the State of North Carolina or some other special achievement, and to others as a gesture of friendship and good will. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society, L3C is a non-governmental organization, administered for charitable and educational purposes in accordance with North Carolina law establishing low profit limited liability companies. In its early history, it also began to be conferred upon state employees (esp. It was compiled by Phillip T. Fisher from a myriad of documents found in the Governor's Records at the North Carolina Office of Archives & History and . >Early explorers described the longleaf forest as a vast, open, park-like savanna of long-needled pine over a diverse understory of grasses and other plants.