| Intrigued by the honor, Annie M. Brown ‘53 said she knew of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, but never had the opportunity to read one.
In September 2015, she not only had the opportunity to read the Order but she was an honorable recipient.
“I have worked for years in different capacities for different organizations and to me it’s a real blessing to be at my age and be able to see this in my lifetime and get the highest award for my native state,” said Brown.
Highly coveted and stringent in criteria, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is “among the most prestigious awards conferred by the Governor of North Carolina,” notes the website of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society. “It is awarded to persons for exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has made a significant impact and strengthened North Carolina.”
To say that Brown has gone “above and beyond the call of duty” on behalf of her beloved North Carolina is an understatement. After receiving a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina A&T State University in Commercial Education, she became the first certified teacher in business education at the South Ayden School in Ayden, North Carolina. However, it was through her transition to high school counselor that she began making waves.
During the turbulent period of the country’s desegregation, Ayden was no exception, racial tensions in the town spilled over into the high schools, Brown purposed not to allow her school to become engulfed in the melee. To that end, she decided a Jr. ROTC program was what the school needed. Taking the task upon her own shoulders, she orchestrated the entire institution of the school’s program, including recruitment, arms housing and even securing a program director. It was the school system’s first and only program that is now common to all the system’s schools.
Brown’s public service grew from that point. Her sense of determination and heart to help others are the reasons why she continued to fight for justice in Ayden, advocating for public housing for minorities living in deplorable conditions and picketing new businesses that refused to hire African American workers – garnering the nickname, “the picket line woman.”
While she jokes that she spent a great deal of time “aggravating other people,” Brown spent just as much time advocating and recruiting for her beloved alma mater. Although the former N.C. A&T Distinguished Service Award recipient is retired, she still makes it her business to tell every student she can about A&T and why they should attend the university.
“I am truly proud of the accomplishments that I have made. The Lord didn’t put us here to sit and do nothing. I think I have done what He wanted me to do,” said Brown. “It’s time now for someone else to get up and do something. “There is always something that we can do as individuals.”
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