CHAPEL HILL –Two  outstanding individuals from the world of high school officiating will be honored next month with an award for lifetime achievement.

                  Jerry Johnson of Goldsboro and Brenda Halford of Mount Holly will be recipients of the second annual Golden Whistle Merit Award, created in a partnership among the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), the North Carolina Coaches Association (NCCA) and the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association (NCADA).

                   The awards will be presented at the NCHSAA Annual Meeting at the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina on Thursday, May 1.

                  Criteria for the award include demonstrating leadership, performance, service and training for the betterment of officiating, possessing officiating abilities emulated by fellow officials, being regarded as a person of integrity and character, and a minimum of 10 years of experience as an active official.

                  Recipients of the Golden Whistle Merit Award include: 

                   • Jerry Johnson currently serves as the booking agent for the East Carolina Baseball Umpires Association but has amazing officiating experience in a variety of sports. He has worked over 3,000 baseball games in the past 33 years, in addition to 1,795 basketball games during 26 seasons and almost 1,000 football games. He has worked eight NCHSAA state baseball championship series involving all four classifications, several state 4-A championships in basketball as well as football state title games. He also has worked a number of important collegiate events in baseball and basketball. A graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, he has retired from the Wayne County Public Schools as a teacher and then school administrator.

                  • Brenda Halford is currently a National Board-certified elementary school teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system with a wonderful resume as an official. A member of the Enka High School Hall of Fame, and a two-sport athlete at Western Carolina University, Halford has been an NCHSAA volleyball official for 25 years and a facilitator and clinic leader in that sport for 10 years. She has officiated in three NCHSAA championship matches and works out of the Western Piedmont Officials Association.  

                  “These two are truly representative of excellence and leadership in officiating,” said Mark Dreibelbis, supervisor of officials for the NCHSAA. “We are extremely proud to make this presentation to these individuals who have demonstrated sacrifice and commitment.”