CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association presented special awards at the regional meetings across the state that were just completed last week.
Commissioner Que Tucker and Assistant Commissioner Tra Waters presented both the Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Awards and the Special Person awards to recipients in each region.
The Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Awards, named for the Association’s late, long-time Executive Director, are given per region and go to a person with at least 10 years of experience in education and athletics who is still active in the field and has regularly gone "above and beyond" the call of duty at both the local and the state level. The Special Person award is similar but may go to a contributor to the NCHSAA who is not directly in coaching or education.
This award winners, listed by region, included:
REGION 1
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Duncan Moore – Northeastern High School
Northeastern High School Athletic Director, Duncan Moore, is the Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award Winner for Region 1. Moore has been a teacher and coach at Northeastern High School since 2012 and has served Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools for his entire 33-year career in education. He has served the system as a head coach in baseball as well as an assistant in football and men’s basketball during his tenure. Moore is a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA), a distinction he earned in 2015, and served as the Region 1 representative for the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association in 2015-16. Moore is a National Board-certified Chemistry teacher and was named Northeastern High School’s Teacher of the Year for 2004-2005.
Special Person Award – Bill Meadows – Down East Baseball & Softball Officials Association
Bill Meadows has been a registered official for the NCHSAA for 43 years. Meadows has served the Association for 25 years as the Regional Supervisor for the Down East Officials Association, beginning in that position in 1993. His long officiating career includes 37 years of football experience that saw Meadows earn two state championship game assignments, one in 1983 and the other in 2005, and a Shrine Bowl Game in 2006. He refereed basketball with the Association for 34 years, garnering a pair of state championship assignments in 1996 and 2001. The long-time baseball umpire called a pair of state championships, one in 1984 and the other in 1988, during his 43 years of service in the sport.
REGION 2
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Tod Morgan – East Carteret High School
Tod Morgan has served students across North Carolina during his 23-year career in public education, working in roles from teacher and coach, to assistant principal and athletic director. Morgan has worked as athletic director at Chapel Hill, Jones Senior, and Ocracoke High Schools. He was also an assistant principal at Jones Senior and Pamlico County Middle School. Currently, he is the athletic director and head basketball coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at East Carteret High School. He has compiled a combined record of 331-281 while leading teams to seven conference championships, four conference tournament titles and 17 state playoff appearances across all four classifications. Morgan has led both a men’s and women’s team to the Eastern Regional Finals and has been named a “Coach of the Year” by various organizations on 11 different occasions.
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Lisa Smith – South Lenoir High School
With more than 25 years of service in public education, Lisa Smith has distinguished herself as a coach and athletic director at South Lenoir High School. Smith has served as the school’s athletic director for 11 years while coaching volleyball and softball. Her record in volleyball is sterling, with 373 wins to just 168 losses in a 26-year career. During that span, Smith has been named conference “Coach of the Year” six times and won 14 conference championships. On the diamond, her softball teams have amassed 348 wins to just 126 losses over 21 years. Smith’s teams have won 11 conference championships, reaching the state championship series once and the final four three times. She was the Region 2 “Coach of the Year” in 2008 and has earned five conference “Coach of the Year” awards in Softball.
Special Person Award – David Perry – Croatan High School
David Perry has served students in the eastern part of North Carolina for more than 25 years. Perry has taught and coached at Jacksonville, West Carteret, and Croatan High Schools, working with students in football, wrestling and baseball. Perry helped lead West Carteret to the regional championship in wrestling and a runner-up finish in the Dual Team State Championship in 1994. In 1998, he moved to the brand-new Croatan High School as head coach in both football and wrestling while assuming athletic director responsibilities. He helped mold Croatan into a power in wrestling, with his teams winning five Dual Team and Individual State Championships (2010, 2011, & 2013). The Cougars have earned 12 state dual team or individual state championship runner-up honors from 2005-2019 while capturing 20 conference championships and 12 regional titles. Perry’s teams have compiled a 538-119 Dual Team record during his tenure.
REGION 3
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Sandra Langley – Southwest Edgecombe High School
Since 1974, Sandra Langley has served the students and schools of Edgecombe County as a teacher, coach and athletic director. Langley’s career has seen stops at North Edgecombe, West Edgecombe, and her longest tenure at SouthWest Edgecombe, where she has served since 1978. She has coached track and field, softball, volleyball and women’s basketball during her time in education. Langley has led her hoops teams to four state championships and four state runner-up finishes, collecting 18 conference championships along the way. Her teams have amassed 774 wins, a state record for a women’s basketball coach, while suffering defeat just 344 times. She has a long history of awards for excellence including being named the Associated Press “Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year” four times in addition to that same award from numerous other entities. Langley served on the NCHSAA Board of Directors from 1994-1997 and has been chosen as the NCHSAA’s Pat Gainey Award winner in 2009, one of the NCHSAA’s “100 Coaches to Remember” during the organization’s centennial celebration in 2013 and was selected to join the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame in 2009.
Special Person Award – Dianne Atkins – Triangle Volleyball Officials Association
A volleyball official since 1987, Dianne Atkins has been a staple in the officiating, volleyball and softball communities in the Triangle, particularly in service to the NCHSAA. Atkins coached basketball and softball at Carroll Middle School from 1985-1990, and her officiating career took off starting in 1987. In 1990, she added softball umpire to her resume, and since 1993 she has served as the Regional Supervisor of Officials for volleyball in the Triangle. Atkins has been recognized with an NCHSAA “Award for Dedication to Volleyball” in 2004, the NCHSAA “Tribute of Appreciation” in 2006 and was recognized for development of officials in 2008. She has umpired NCHSAA softball state championships five times and has served as host association for the NCHSAA volleyball state championships since they came to Raleigh.
REGION 4
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Bobby Purvis – Union Pines High School
A long-time teacher, coach and athletic director, Bobby Purvis has served students for 42 years. He began his coaching career in the 1980’s serving as head men’s and women’s basketball coach as well as head track and field coach while assisting in football and baseball. His teams collected 17 championships in track and field, and 17 championships in basketball with more than 400 wins. He was the Region 4 women’s basketball coach for the North Carolina State Games in 1988 and was chosen as a head men’s coach for the East/West All-Star game in 2007. He has been named “Coach of the Year” 16 times in track and basketball combined while serving as conference president for three different conferences. He was selected as the Region 4 “Athletic Director of the Year” in 2016 and is a member of the Union Pines High School Hall of Fame.
Special Person Award – Vicki DiSantis – Carolinas Golf Association
Vicki DiSantis has been a friend of the NCHSAA and supporter of women’s golf in the Carolinas for many years. She has been a member of the USGA Junior Girls’ Committee since 2002, conducting the U.S. Girls’ Junior Qualifier each year it is held in North Carolina. She has also served as an NCHSAA Women’s Golf Regional and State Championship Rules Official for many years. In recognition of DiSantis’ significant contributions to Junior Girls Golf, the Carolinas Golf Association started a new girls’ event in 2006 which they dubbed the “Vicki DiSantis Junior Girls Championship. Those within the organization and the golf community in North Carolina now simply know it as “The Vicki.”
REGION 5
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Donald Palmer – Ledford High School
Donald Palmer has been in education for 28 years as a teacher and a coach, the last 25 of those at his current school, Ledford. Palmer has served as the school’s athletic director for the last 20 years, also coaching football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball during his tenure. He has served seven terms as a conference president, spanning two different conferences, and has directed three NCHSAA regionals, two in wrestling and one in track and field. Under Palmer’s leadership, the school has added lights for softball and tennis, while building a multi-purpose weight room and auxiliary gym. During his tenure, the school has won the Wells Fargo or Cushwa Cups in nine different years.
Special Person Award – Kelly Gaines – Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission
A great friend of the Association and the tennis community in North Carolina, Kelly Gaines has provided great support and service to the NCHSAA over many years. After playing collegiately at Peace University in Raleigh, Gaines became the head tennis pro at North Hills Club in Raleigh in 1985 before going on to become an assistant and eventually head women’s tennis Coach at NC State in 1989. Since 1995, Gaines has been the Executive Director of USTA North Carolina, and under her leadership, the staff has grown from two to 14 while membership has tripled. Gaines has helped the NCHSAA by providing funding for the tennis championship and coaching clinic opportunities annually.
REGION 6
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Alan Stewart – Forestview High School
Alan Stewart has served as the athletic director at Forestview High School since it opened in 1998. Stewart has served the students and student-athletes of Gaston County for nearly 30 years, including some time at Ashbrook prior to the opening of Forestview. He is the last original staff member remaining on staff from the opening of Forestview in 1998. In addition to his duties as athletic director, Stewart coaches women’s golf and men’s tennis.
Special Person Award – Elizabeth Carpenter – NCHSAA Wrestling Tournament Assistant
The daughter of long-time West Lincoln Wrestling Coach, Butch Ross, Elizabeth Carpenter has been an instrumental part of the West Lincoln Wrestling dynasty. She has served as a scorekeeper and tournament operator for more than 30 years, including serving as North Carolina TrackWrestling tournament director since 2003. Carpenter has been working with the NCHSAA State Individual Championships since 2008 and directs regional and state championship tournament matches and implementation. She has been named USA Wrestling’s “Regional Southeast Kids Person of the Year” and is invaluable in her support of the NCHSAA Wrestling Championships.
REGION 7
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Billy Baker – St. Stephens High School
Billy Baker has served wrestlers at Lincolnton and St. Stephens High Schools for 26 years, building an exceptional program at St. Stephens where he has been for the last 19 years. Baker missed one year of coaching while serving in Iraq, but in 26 years, his teams have won 13 conference championships, five individual regional championships, four dual team regional championships and one dual team state championship. While his teams racked up 624 wins, he has been named the conference “Coach of the Year” 15 times during his career and North Carolina “Coach of the Year” three times. Baker was inducted in the Lincoln County Hall of Fame in 2015.
Special Person Award – Chris Skabo – Wilkes County Schools
A long-time friend of the NCHSAA and servant to the student-athletes of North Carolina, Chris Skabo recently retired from his position as the athletic director for Wilkes County Schools. Prior to taking the position as system athletic director, Skabo was the athletic director and head basketball coach at West Wilkes High School. He completed a four-year term on the NCHSAA Board of Directors and served as chairperson of the “Review and Officiating Committee” during his time on the Board. He has served as the Chairperson of the NCHSAA’s Region 7 Regional Meeting annually for many years. He was named winner of the 2012 Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award for Region 7.
REGION 8
Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award – Joey Robinson – Mountain Heritage High School
During a 25-year teaching and coaching career, Joey Robinson has served as a teacher, coach and athletic director for Mountain Heritage High School. Robinson has been the head football coach since 2001, compiling an overall record of 118-97. He has also served as the school’s athletic director since 2008. Robinson is a six-time winner of the Western Highlands Conference “Coach of the Year” award, was named the 2008 Asheville Citizen-Times “Coach of the Year” and 2009 NC Preps 2A “Coach of the Year”. His team finished as state runner-up in 2009 and he was selected to join the East/West All-Star Game coaching staff in 2015. Robinson was one of the winners of the 2014 Homer Thompson Memorial “Eight Who Make a Difference” Award.
Special Person Award – Ed Duncan – Mitchell High School
Ed Duncan has served as the assistant athletic director and head wrestling coach for Mitchell High School for 14 years. He is the state chairperson for the North Carolina Chapter of USA Wrestling. Duncan was instrumental in the inception, planning and execution of the first NCHSAA Women’s Wrestling Invitational, held in February of 2018, that featured more than 80 female wrestlers in 11 different weight classes. In addition to numerous other awards and accolades, Duncan has led his teams to eight conference championships, two dual team state championships and has been named the “Coach of the Year” twice by both the Western Highlands Conference and NC Mat News.
