Pat MacNeill may have retired from Greene County Schools, but not before receiving one last honor to cap off a distinguished career.
MacNeill was awarded one of the state’s highest honors, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine. The honor, which was established in 1963, is issued by the governor to North Carolinians who have a proven record of service to the state.
MacNeill was presented the award by Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene at Monday night’s meeting of the Greene County School Board.
Davis said normally the application process for the award can take several months, but for MacNeill everything was completed in less than two weeks. He praised MacNeill for her efforts in education.
“When you look at the Greene County School System over the years, she has literally shaped the system into what it is today. There are very few people, that have truly made an impact on the system such as MacNeill,” he said.
Davis also said MacNeill’s efforts will be felt throughout the county for a long time.
“She’s an outstanding educator, person and leader for this community. Many students have gone on to become outstanding adults to make Greene County better, due to the influence of MacNeill,” he said.
During her tenure, MacNeill held various positions in the school system, including school community relations director, assistant principal of Greene Central High School and principal of West Greene Elementary.
MacNeill said she was grateful to be honored.
“I’m amazed and very gratified to receive the award. I’m very appreciative of Senator Davis, Superintendent Miller and Governor Pat McCrory for bestowing this award upon me, and I will cherish it always,” she said.
MacNeill said she is thankful for the help she received over the years.
“All of my work in Greene County was not done by me, it was done by everyone I worked with. I loved every year of it, and the team was made up of teachers and administrators. I’m very grateful to have been a part of this for 39 years,” she said.
Superintendent Patrick Miller said he was happy MacNeill was honored.
“It’s a fitting capstone to a wonderful career. The contributions MacNeill made to Greene County schools are too numerous and great to mention. I couldn’t be more pleased for her to be awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine,” he said.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @nclark763.