Special to Iredell Free News

RALEIGH — Six distinguished North Carolinians were presented the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest honor, by Gov. Roy Cooper during a November 9 ceremony at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The award recognizes significant lifetime achievements in the areas of fine arts, literature, public service and science.

The 2023 honorees are Hon. David Price for Public Service, Hon. G.K. Butterfield for Public Service, Fred A. Whitfield for Public Service, Marsha White Warren for Literature, Patrick Dougherty for Fine Arts and Dr. Mandy K. Cohen for Science.

Established by the General Assembly in 1961, the first medals for the North Carolina Award were given in 1964. Since then, more than 250 notable men and women have been honored by the state of North Carolina.

The North Carolina Award program is funded by sponsors that include Wells Fargo, Martin Marietta, Duke Energy, RTI, O’Reilly Auto Parts, ACN, Inc., CBC/WRAL Community Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, Dr. William Roper, the Charlotte Hornets, the National Basketball Association, and Lenovo.

The awards are administered by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.