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John
Carlton Huie - '56
Awarded Order of
the Long Leaf Pine
Turning over a new leaf - Thursday, July 26, 2007
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A native Albanian receives the Order of the Long Leaf Pine
honor in North Carolina for his work with young adults.
Ashley Hindsman
ALBANY – John Huie calls himself "an Albanian from way back."
He grew up in Rawson Circle and played basketball and ran track
at Albany High School. He used to write a teenage column for The
Albany Herald that ran every Sunday.
After he graduated from high school in 1956, he sold peanuts and
chased balls for the Albany Cardinals.
His time in Albany was more than just where he spent the
beginning. of his life. It is where he developed the sense of
philanthropy that led him to receive the Order of the Long Leaf
Pine honor in North Carolina, the highest civilian honor in the
state.
The honor, given by Gov. Michael Easley, is granted to
outstanding North Carolinians who have a proven record of
extraordinary service to the state. Past recipients include Maya
Angelou, the Rev. Billy Graham and Michael Jordan.
Huie, 70, was recognized for his work as executive director of
the Environment Leadership Center at Warren Wilson College. The
center, founded by Huie in 1995, focuses on an environmental
curriculum for college students, especially in the mountainous
region in which the school is located.
Huie said his advocacy and respect for nature stemmed from his
days at Radium Springs Elementary School.
"In my mind, it goes back to growing up in Albany where I
enjoyed freedom to roam woods and forests, and my experience at
Radium Springs experiencing the beauty of the natural world and
taking it for granted," he said.
"Young people today need to have a sense of belonging to a place
that has a natural feel to it. Outdoors is a classroom for
learning about the ecology of the natural world and all the
things it nurtures," he added.
Though Huie said he took for granted the beautify of Albany's
natural environment, his love for the outdoors was rekindled
when he attended Davidson College, north of Charlotte, N.C., and
later learned of a program called Outward Bound.
Outward Bound, he explained, is a program for young people to
build character and self-confidence and teamwork through
challenging wilderness experiences.
When Huie became a member of the program, he said he quickly
learned how an outdoor experience such as hiking or canoeing can
build character in a young person.
"After accomplishing something (an outdoor experience) like
that, you gain confidence and ability to solve problems and that
leads to your adult life and that's called success," Huie said.
Another aspect of Outward Bound that intrigued Huie is that the
program takes children and teenagers from different ethnic and
economical backgrounds and puts them in an environment where
they have to work together.
"My commitment to that comes from having experienced that kind
of thing in the way I grew up and having a deep craving for
community building," he said. "I saw in Outward Bound an
opportunity to give leadership to help young people discover the
joys of outdoor adventure and how it can bring them together,
with service ethics above all.
"I guess you can say it came from growing up in Albany and
seeing a need for that," he added. "I cam out of Albany with a
deep-seeded commitment to help young people to raise their
sights to a better society. I saw both the good and bad side in
the 1950s and wanted to help resolve the bad side wherever I
was."
Huie spent nearly 20 years as director of the North Carolina
Outward Bound School from 1977-1994. During that time, the
Outward Bound School expanded its programs from North Carolina
to Florida and Georgia, graduating more than 40,000 young
people.
Still having the desire to help mould the lives of young people
into positive citizens, Huie decided to start his own
educational consulting firm for troubled teens and their
families.
"Having seen so many young people, I decided it was a good time
for me to use my experiences to support families whose children
aren't doing so well," he explained.
"Having experienced and worked through crisis with my own
teenager, I offer a unique perspective to this work with
families, teenagers and other," said the single father of four.
Huie said working with young people and knowing that he is a
factor in helping make someone's life better is what keeps him
out of retirement.
"I take some considerable satisfaction in being able to help,"
he said.
"It's quite an experience to meet with a young person and hear
the story about how everything is heading in the wrong direction
and then to play a useful part and guiding them to make a right
decision," he added.
Huie said receiving the Order of the Long Leaf Pine was a
symbolic event in his career.
"I feel honored and humbled and I appreciate the recognition.
I've had a long career with working with young people and I'm
still at it, and it's very meaningful," he said.
Receiving the honor, he said, is clarification for him that
progress has been made toward his goal of a more unified
society, though there is still a long way to go.
"Just because you've got some things behind you doesn't mean you
sit on the bench. I don't intend to spend the rest of my days on
the golf course, there's plenty of good work out there to do."
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