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Home > Featured Stories > Outside the Classroom > March 2009 > Leading the ChargeLeading the Charge
NC State administrators work hard to offer a complete education in academics and whatever one needs to make the big step into the workplace and society.
2009 Watauga Medalist C. Richard Vaughn
2009 Watauga Medal recipients J. Lawrence Apple, E. Norris Tolson and C. Richard Vaughn.
By Dave Pond, Web Communication
A former trustee, a professor emeritus and a longtime state official were honored with the prestigious Watauga Medal by North Carolina State University for their significant and distinguished service to the university.
C. Richard Vaughn, Dr. J. Lawrence Apple and E. Norris Tolson received the awards, the highest nonacademic honor bestowed by NC State, at the university's Founders' Day Dinner on Monday, March 9. Chancellor James Oblinger presented the medals.
“My first reaction was ‘Why me?’ because I know what kind of people have received this medal and I am sort of in awe of them,” Tolson said. “I recognize how important this award is to the NC State family, so I am very humbled to be considered by a selection committee as worthy to receive such an honor – when Chancellor Oblinger called me, I was somewhat speechless, which is rather unusual for me.”
The medal’s name derives from the Watauga Club, a progressive group founded in 1884 to promote North Carolina’s educational, agricultural and industrial development. "Watauga" is a Native-American word meaning "the land beyond.”
In 1885, the club encouraged the North Carolina General Assembly to establish an industrial school. Walter Hines Page recommended that agriculture be included in the school's curriculum, thus joining the Wataugans' efforts with the land-grant movement led by Colonel Leonidas Polk, founder and editor of the Progressive Farmer.
The resulting legislation founded the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts on March 7, 1887.
“With the creation of our Centennial Campus, our university has become a world leader in research into so many things that affect our daily living,” said Vaughn, a 1961 graduate of the NC State College of Engineering for whom Carter-Finley Stadium’s C. Richard Vaughn Towers are named. “There are many universities envious of our accomplishments in research and the overall success of our Centennial Campus.
“NC State administrators work hard to offer a complete education in academics and whatever one needs to make the big step into the workplace and society.”
The selection process is a rigorous one conducted by the Watauga Medal Selection Committee, with recommendations going to the Chancellor who reviews them and, finally, to the Board of Trustees.
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Also on Monday, a trio of current undergraduate students were recognized as recipients of the Mathews Medal, given to graduating NC State seniors who have built a campus legacy based on leadership and service to their alma mater during their time on campus. John Cooper Elias, Anna Patton and Sara Yasin are this year's recipients.
“When I found out I was a recipient of the Mathews Medal, I was kind of in shock,” Elias said. “It was a huge honor, because I know all of the applicants are qualified and deserving.
“I would have never even been in contention for the honor had it not been for my friends, advisers and professors who gave me the opportunities I have had at N.C. State and who supported my decision to apply for the Mathews Medal.”
The Mathews Medal is named for Walter J. Mathews, the first student enrolled at the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1889, and was created and administered by the Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program.
