UNC Asheville Professor of Management Robert Yearout has been named to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the governor of North Carolina. The award, begun in 1963 and presented in recognition of extraordinary service to the state, was bestowed by Gov. Pat McCrory.

Former N.C. Representative Nathan Ramsey, a UNC Asheville graduate and a former student of Yearout’s, presented the award during a special presentation following Yearout’s final lecture on campus. Yearout, who is retiring, delivered the lecture to students, alumni and colleagues who gathered on April 25 to honor and celebrate Yearout’s 29 years of service to the university.

“Dr. Yearout has dedicated his 54-year public service career to being a leader and professor,” said Micheal Stratton, chair and associate professor of management at UNC Asheville, who nominated Yearout for the Order of the Long Leaf Pine honor. “He’s one of the most engaged and active teacher-scholars in the department, let alone on the campus. Bob is a model professor in his altruistic commitment to helping develop our students as leaders and critical thinkers. He truly epitomizes what we aspire to be and do as public servants.”

UNC Asheville student Tammy Walsh helped organize a special student tribute to Yearout following his final lecture, which concluded with the presentation of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. “We wanted to make it special, because he is so special” Walsh said. “He always seemed to know when people would need him most, and he would be right there.”

Yearout has received numerous awards during his career at UNC Asheville, including the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2006, UNC Asheville Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 2000, the Distinguished Teaching Award for the Social Sciences, the First Annual University Service Council Award, the Ruth and Leon Feldman Professorship for Outstanding Research and the University Research Council Award for Scholarly and Creative Achievement.

Distinguished recipients of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine honor include former UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder, former UNC system President William Friday, Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott King and many other leaders in business, education, public service, arts, entertainment and sports.