North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has named six illustrious individuals as recipients of the North Carolina Award, the state's foremost civilian honor. Announced in a recent press release from the Governor's Office, the awards are slated for presentation at a special ceremony on November 13 at Asheville's historic Grove Park Inn, departing from its traditional Raleigh locale.
In a thoughtful choice of venue, the Governor's Office announced that all proceeds from the ceremony’s ticket sales will go to the North Carolina Community Foundation to support recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. Highlighting western North Carolina’s resilience, Governor Stein stated, “I am pleased to note that our 2025 recipients all either hail from or have made a particular impact in western North Carolina, and I look forward to honoring them in the mountains we all love.”
The honorees span an array of fields including bluegrass artists Woody Platt and Buddy Melton who are being recognized in Fine Arts, NYT best-selling author Wiley Cash for Literature, and late civil rights attorney James Ferguson alongside retired basketball head coach Roy Williams in Public Service. Dr. Kathie Dello is being honored for her contributions to Science as the state climatologist of North Carolina. The acknowledgment bestows them into a league of exceptional past recipients such as James Taylor and Maya Angelou.
The diverse committee overseeing the selection process includes Nina S. Szlosberg-Landis, Wendy Brenner, Joe Sam Queen, and Margaret Weller Stargell. Pamela B. Cashwell, Secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, expressed her anticipation for the Asheville ceremony, "We look forward to celebrating the very best of North Carolina in Asheville." The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources administers the recognition program, which has honored over 300 notable men and women since its inception in 1961, as per the Governor's Office.
