RALEIGH -- Six distinguished North Carolinians were presented the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest honor, by Governor Roy Cooper at a Nov. 16 ceremony at the Raleigh Convention Center. The award recognizes significant lifetime achievements in the areas of fine arts, literature, public service and science.

The 2019 honorees are Rev. Dr. William Joseph Barber II of Goldsboro for Public Service, W. Earl Britt of Raleigh for Public Service, Philip Gerard of Wilmington for Literature, Deborah S. Proctor of Wake Forest for Public Service, Lawrence J. Wheeler of Chapel Hill for Fine Arts and Catherine M. Wilfert, M.D. of Chapel Hill 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, Bob Barker Company, Martin Marietta, Joseph M. Bryan Jr., Thomas S. Kenan III, CBC/WRAL Community Fund of Triangle Community Foundation, Dr. William L. Roper, Advance Auto Parts, ImmunoReagents, Eugene L. Roberts Jr., Betty McCain, Duke University Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, WCPE, and the UNCW College of Arts and Sciences.