Gov. Josh Stein has announced the 2025 recipients of the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest civilian honor — and five of the six honorees have strong ties to Western North Carolina.
An awards ceremony and celebratory event is set for Nov. 13 at the Omni Grove Park Inn. It’s the first time the ceremony has been held outside Raleigh.
“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,” Stein said in a press release.
Honorees with WNC ties
Woody Platt, a Grammy Award-winning guitarist and founding member of Brevard’s Steep Canyon Rangers.
Buddy Melton, a Haywood County fiddler and vocalist with Balsam Range.
Wiley Cash, a New York Times best-selling author and professor at UNC Asheville.
James Ferguson, an Asheville-born civil rights attorney who fought school segregation and defended the Wilmington 10. He died in July at age 82.
Roy Williams, an Asheville native and Hall of Fame basketball coach who led UNC to three NCAA championships.
The sixth honoree, Kathie Dello, is North Carolina’s state climatologist and director of the State Climate Office at NC State University. She is being recognized for her work in climate science and resilience planning.
Ceremony to support recovery
Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Community Foundation of North Carolina to help communities recover from Hurricane Helene, according to the governor’s office.
Pamela Cashwell, secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which manages the awards, said holding the ceremony in Asheville underscores the region’s resilience.
“We look forward to celebrating the very best of North Carolina in Asheville,” Cashwell said. “This year’s awardees join an illustrious list of people who have led North Carolina through their impressive accomplishments in public service, literature, science, and the arts.”
Since its creation in 1961, the North Carolina Award has recognized more than 300 people for contributions in fine arts, literature, public service and science. Past honorees include Maya Angelou, James Taylor, Etta Baker and Eric Church.
