– information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

Granville County Senior Services Director Kathy May was recognized for her decades of service to Granville County and the state of North Carolina when she was named as one of the newest recipients of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award last week. State Sen. Mary Wills Bode presented the award to May on behalf of Gov. Roy Cooper during a surprise ceremony on Sept. 25 at the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the highest civilian honor awarded by the North Carolina Governor’s Office.  Established in 1963 by Gov. Terry Sanford, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine is awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the state and to their communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.

Recipients become honorary North Carolina ambassadors and their names and award dates are recorded on a roster maintained by The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society.

Assistant Senior Services Director Angela Wright spoke during the ceremony about May’s accomplishments since she arrived on the scene in 1987. Now approaching her 38^th year as Senior Services director, May has led the department through significant changes over the years.

In 1987, Senior Services was located in the former Orange Street School, and because renovations were being made to the building to ultimately house the Department of Social Services, there were no dedicated facilities for senior activities beyond basic services like congregate meals in Oxford and Creedmoor. Under May’s leadership, the Senior Services Department has expanded to a true county-wide service model that includes continuing education, fitness classes, technology training, Medicare enrollment assistance, housing improvements, and so much more at three locations throughout the county.

As of 2024, the Oxford location has relocated a second time to the current facility on Lanier Street and sites have been established in Creedmoor and Stovall in partnership with those local municipalities providing many of the same services to northern and southern areas of the county. Work is currently underway on a major expansion  in downtown Stovall for a new North Granville Senior Center, scheduled to be complete in 2025.