Each year, the organization’s Board of Trustees selects honorees who have made substantial contributions to the welfare, health and prestige of North Carolina or the nation through their service in civic life, business, arts, sciences, religion, military, education or excellence in their professional fields.
Alfred W. Griffin III, current president of the organization stated, “The Annual Dinner Dance is the highlight of the North Carolina Society’s calendar of events and marks the unofficial beginning of the holiday season for our more than 600 members. As we celebrate the 127th year of our organization, I am delighted that we continue our tradition of selecting North Carolinians who have made a difference by honoring Randy Woodson for his leadership in education.”
The Honoree:
Dr. Woodson became North Carolina State University’s 14th chancellor in April 2010, retiring in 2025 after fifteen years of dedicated service. As chancellor, Woodson lead the largest university in North Carolina, with nearly 38,000 students and a $2 billion budget. Under his leadership, the university created, implemented, and completed “The Pathway to the Future,” a strategic plan that elevated NC State’s recognition among the nation’s top public research universities. In 2021, NC State created the “Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary” strategic plan to build on this momentum and carry the university even further.
Woodson stated, “It is an incredible honor to be recognized by the North Carolina Society of New York, a group of incredible North Carolinians who make it their mission to better their home state – even when separated by distance. As the former chancellor of North Carolina’s largest university, and as someone who has made the state their home, I am truly touched to receive this award from such an influential institution.”
About the North Carolina Society of New York:
In 1898, five men met in the living room of the Hon. George Gordon Battle to explore the possibility of forming a social organization for North Carolinians living in New York. In addition to the host, those present at the meeting were George Garland Allen, James B. Duke, Judge Janius Parker, and W.W. Fuller.
At the conclusion of the meeting, they formed the North Carolina Society of New York and invited August Van Wyck to become the society’s first president. The purpose of the organization was “to cultivate social intercourse among its members, to promote their common interests and contribute to the welfare of the state of North Carolina.”
Previous Annual Dinner Dance honorees include John Motley Morehead III (1958), John M. Belk (1972), Dean E. Smith (1982), Richard Hampton Jenrette (1994), General H. Hugh Shelton (2004), Dr. James H. Goodnight and Mrs. Ann B. Goodnight (2009), Former Governor James Baxter Hunt, Jr. (2012), Thomas W. Ross (2021), Paul Fulton (2022), and Coach Roy Williams (2024).
Please see the North Carolina Society of New York website for more information on the organization, and a full list of past honorees.
