Special to IFN

RALEIGH — Eight distinguished citizens were presented the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest honor, by Gov. Roy Cooper at a November 14 ceremony at the at the Raleigh Marriott City Center.

The award recognizes significant lifetime achievements in the areas of fine arts, literature, public service and science. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the awards.

The 2024 honorees are:

♦ The Avett Brothers (Scott Avett, Seth Avett, and Bob Crawford) for Fine Arts;
♦ William Henry Curry for Fine Arts;
♦ Frank A. Bruni Jr. for Literature;
♦ Thomas W. Earnhardt for Science;
♦ Christina H. Koch for Science; and
♦ Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr. for Public Service

Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1961, the first medals for the North Carolina Award were given in 1964. Since then, more than 300 notable individuals have been honored by the State of North Carolina.

The North Carolina Award program is funded by sponsors that include Wells Fargo, Martin Marietta, RTI, Wolfspeed, Lenovo, Duke Energy, ECU Health, CBC/WRAL Community Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, PBS North Carolina, NCSU College of Engineering, N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, NC Opera, Dr. Myron S. Cohen and Dr. Gail Henderson, Hon. G K Butterfield, Justice W. Earl Britt, and Michael Alan McFee.

LEARN MORE

The awards are administered by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information, visit www.dncr.nc.gov/NCawards.