Soles is getting Order of the Long Leaf Pine

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Two weeks after cancelling the ceremony to receive the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, it appears former Sen. R.C. Soles will in fact get the award.

Phillip Fisher of the Long Leaf Pine Society confirms he received notification former Gov. Bev Perdue signed off on Soles getting the award December 31 before she left office.

Soles reportedly canceled the event to where the Order of the Long Leaf Pine was to be presented to him after learning there was no record of Perdue awarding him the honor

There’s no word on when Soles will get the award, which is regarded as the state’s highest civilian honor.

Soles left the General Assembly in 2011 after a record 42 years in office.