Special to the Daily News
Mitchell St. Clair, the immediate past chairman of the Beaufort County Community College Board of Trustees, has been awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine, one of the highest honors given by the state of North Carolina.
St. Clair was presented the award by Tate Johnson, Gov. Bev Perdue’s eastern representative, in a ceremony held Tuesday, Dec. 4, on the BCCC campus in the presence of the college’s board of trustees and about 20 of St. Clair’s family members and friends.
St. Clair was appointed to the BCCC board July 1, 2002 by the Beaufort County Board of Education. He served as board chairman for three years from 2009 to 2012, during which time he led the board’s efforts to hire President Barbara Tansey and oversaw construction of a new Allied Health building, among other activities.
A native of Chocowinity, St. Clair is president of St. Clair Trucking Inc. of Washington, a company that he founded in 1982. In 2007, he was appointed to the N.C. Wildlife Commission – the first minority to join the panel – and was recently appointed to his third term.
St. Clair serves on numerous local boards and commissions in addition to his post with BCCC including the Vidant Beaufort Hospital Directors Council, the Beaufort County Board of Health and the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council governing board. He is past chairman of the Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce, Beaufort County Crime-stoppers and the Beaufort County Boys and Girls Club. He is a member of the Washington Noon Rotary Club and the St. John Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ. St. Clair and his wife, Remanda, live in Washington.
After receiving the award, St. Clair said he “was speechless” and thanked his family and friends for attending the ceremony and the BCCC Board of Trustees for their hard work.
The award was created in 1965 and is named for the Longleaf Pine, the official state tree. It is believed the Order has been awarded to over 15,000 recipients who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, bestowed by the governor, is one of the highest honors given by the state of North Carolina. The award recognizes contributions to recipients’ communities, extra effort in their careers and many years of service to their organizations.
The recipient receives a certificate and the privilege of proposing, at any time, the North Carolina Toast.