The News & Observer Tar Heel of the Year: The past honorees
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The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Year
The News & Observer recognizes North Carolina residents who have made significant contributions in the last year and beyond. These people have made a difference in our region, state and elsewhere. Here are our stories.
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Since 1997, The News & Observer has recognized North Carolinians who have made lasting and significant contributions to the Tar Heel state.
Honorees have come from all over North Carolina and from different sectors of the community including the arts, business, philanthropy, education and science. Below is the list of past honorees.
PREVIOUS TAR HEELS OF THE YEAR
1997: Hugh McColl
Bank of America
Charlotte
1998: John Hope Franklin
Duke University historian
Durham
1999: Franklin Graham
CEO, Samaritan’s Purse
Charlotte
2000: Larry Wheeler
Director, N.C. Museum of Art
Raleigh
2001: Molly Broad
UNC system president
Chapel Hill
2002: Kay Yow
NCSU women’s basketball coach
Raleigh
2003: Jim Goodmon
Capitol Broadcasting
Raleigh-Durham
2004: Howard Manning Jr.
State Superior Court Judge
Raleigh
2005: Martin Eakes
CEO, Self-Help Credit Union
Durham
2006: Ann, Jim Goodnight
SAS founder, community leaders
Cary
2007: Christine Mumma
N.C. Center on Actual Innocence
Durham
2008: Joe DeSimone
Chemist at UNC
Chapel Hill
2009: Phil Freelon
Architect
Durham
2010: Ray Buchanan
Stop Hunger Now
Raleigh
2011: Betsy Bennett
Director, N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh
2012: Robert Lefkowitz and Myron Cohen
Researchers at Duke and UNC
Durham-Chapel Hill
2013: Mary-Dell Chilton
Agricultural scientist
Syngenta Biotechnology
RTP
2014: Steve Schuster
Architect
Raleigh
2015: Aziz Sancar and Paul Modrich
Cancer researchers at UNC and Duke
Chapel Hill-Durham
2016: John Kane
Developer
Raleigh
2017: Ashley Christensen and Vivian Howard
Chefs
Raleigh, Kinston
2018: The Rev. William Barber Jr.
Pastor and activist
Goldsboro
Four runners-up: William Lewis, Rhiannon Giddens, Jaki Shelton Green and Richard Brunson
2019: Gregg Warren
Affordable housing developer
Raleigh
Four runners-up: J. Cole, Sandi Macdonald, Bob Phillips and Tim Sweeney
2020: Dr. Mandy Cohen
Secretary of N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
Raleigh
2021: Dr. Ralph Baric
UNC researcher and professor
Chapel Hill
2022: Ricky Moore
Chef & owner of Saltbox Seafood Joint
Chapel Hill
2023: J. Myrick Howard
Former president of Preservation North Carolina
Raleigh
This story was originally published October 3, 2018 at 4:30 PM with the headline "The News & Observer Tar Heel of the Year: The past honorees."
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