Phillip Fisher says the Order of the Long Leaf Pine has changed.
The executive director of the N.C. Real Estate Commission, who has compiled an exhaustive list of some 13,618 awards, told Dome that it originally was given to visitors, not North Carolinians.
"It seemed to be the award was commonly given to people who were visiting the state for some reason," he said. "It might be a celebrity. It might be people who were coming to attend a convention here. It was given to promote goodwill."
Since recipients were up to the discretion of the governor, it shifted. Later governors began giving it more to Tar Heels who had achieved some special accomplishment. In recent years, it has also been given to state workers with more than 30 years of service.
The first award Fisher could find was George Ringgold on June 15, 1965, under the administration of Gov. Dan Moore. But he said early records are spotty, so he could not rule out earlier awards.
Raleigh resident John Hagler says he received the award from Gov. Terry Sanford on Feb. 27, 1964.
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