Posted September 26, 2024
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 on September 25. North Carolina Senator Mary Wills Bode (District 18 – Granville/Wake) presented the award to May on behalf of Governor Roy Cooper during a surprise ceremony 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 Governor Terry Sanford, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine is awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. Persons named to “The Order” become honorary North Carolina Ambassadors with their names and award dates recorded on a Roster maintained by The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society.
Assistant Senior Services Director Angela Wright spoke about May’s accomplishments during her tenure with Granville County, which began in 1987. Approaching her 38th year as the county’s Senior Services Director, May has seen dramatic changes during time at the helm of the department. Wright noted that in 1987, the former Orange Street school (the current location of the Oxford Department of Social Services office) was being renovated to house Senior Services and 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.
Granville County government extends its gratitude to Kathy May on her past and continued service to our county and state.