Order of the Long Leaf Pine

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, created in 1964, is an honor that can be granted in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state.

Contributions to their communities, extra effort in their careers, and many years of service to their organizations are some of the guidelines by which recipients are selected for this award.

Although sometimes called the state's highest civilian honor in an order of precedence, that distinction legally belongs to the North Carolina Award.

[2] The certificate reads in part: Reposing special confidence in the integrity, learning and zeal of [honoree], I [the Governor of North Carolina] do by these presents confer The Order of the Long Leaf Pine with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary, privileged to enjoy fully all rights granted to members of this exalted order, among which is the special privilege to propose the following North Carolina toast in select company anywhere in the free world:This is the first verse of the official toast of North Carolina, from a poem by Leonora Monteiro Martin.