Two North Carolina citizens with UNC Lineberger ties are honored with 2009 North Carolina Awards
Chapel Hill, NC - Two North Carolina citizens, one, a UNC
Lineberger faculty member, Dr. Joe DeSimone, and the other, the chairwoman
of the UNC Lineberger Board of Visitors, Betty Ray McCain, were among six people
presented with the North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor the
state bestows.
Governor Beverly Perdue and N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Secretary
Linda A. Carlisle made the presentations in a ceremony at the N. C. Museum
of History on October 29. The award recognizes significant contributions to
the state and nation in the fields of fine arts, literature, public service
and science. DeSimone received the Science Award and McCain received one of
two Public Service Awards. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources news release
included the following information about the recipients:
"Joseph DeSimone, of Chapel Hill, one of the nation’s premier scientists, is on the cutting edge of research with revolutionary results for cancer treatment, green chemistry and photovoltaics. His breakthroughs and nanotechnology applications in the fields of polymer chemistry, pharmacology, and biomolecular engineering, are life-changing and world-saving inventions."
"Betty Ray McCain, of Wilson, long has been a force in the civic and
political life of North Carolina. She has made an imprint as a volunteer for
causes from health care to politics and in public service as past secretary
of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, board member for UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Center, UNC-TV, and many others. She is the first woman to chair the
state Democratic Party."
