CHAPEL HILL– The North Carolina High School Athletic Association presented special awards at its just completed eight regional meetings across the state.

Commissioner Davis Whitfield of the NCHSAA, on behalf of the Association, presented both the Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Awards and the Special Person awards to recipients in each region.

The Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Awards are given per region and go to a person with at least 10 years 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.

The award winners include:

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Kenny Meekins, Manteo— Kenny has been a highly successful baseball coach at both Princeton and at Manteo, guiding Princeton to an NCHSAA state 1-A baseball title in both 1992 and ‘94, and then Manteo to a state crown in 1996.   He has also served for years at Manteo as athletic director. 

Special Person

Marvin Jarman, Rose— Marvin Jarman graduated from Rose in 1969 and was selected as Mr. School Spirit then, but the label is still very accurate.  Marvin literally hardly ever misses a football, basketball or baseball game involving Rose and attends practices, clinics and conventions.  The Rose athletic complex is actually located on Marvin Jarman Drive and there is no bigger supporter of high school athletics. 

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Debra Bryant, Lejeune-  Debra Bryant has been a successful coach in various sports at Lejeune and has also served at that Department of Defense school as athletic director for a number of years, dealing with some of the unusual situations that may occur with a Department of Defense school. She has previously been recognized as Teacher of the Year in the Lejeune schools and has been very involved with the NCHSAA.

Special Person

Ed Gilroy, Trask— Ed Gilroy has been at Trask since it opened and is well respected as an athletic director across the region. Ed was the first Pender County athletic director to earn the prestigious Certified Master Athletic Administrator designation, and he has served as a conference president. He’s been at Trask since 2002, and Pender 10 years before that, and is beginning his 36th year in the classroom. He’s also coached track and field for 28 years, cross country 12, been involved with football for 15 and has even coached basketball and golf. Trask has hosted NCHSAA regionals in both track and cross country and has hosted numerous conference championships. He also teaches the LTC courses for the North Carolina Athletic Director Association. 

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Michael Gainey, Rocky Mount— Michael has been a highly successful teacher and coach at Rocky Mount in the Nash-Rocky Mount school system since 1989.  A graduate of East Carolina University, Gainey has coached his Rocky Mount men’s basketball team to NCHSAA state championships in both 2010 and 2012 and has won numerous coach of the year honors. He also serves as his school’s athletic director, is a certified athletic administrator, and has been very supportive of the NCHSAA. 

Special Person

Tamara Cole, Holly Springs— Tamara Cole is the co-chair of the health and physical education department at Holly Springs and coaches both women’s golf and men’s and women’s swimming at the school.  She has built the Holly Springs swimming program and has also been a great asset to the NCHSAA, helping to run the 4-A Eastern Regional swimming championships many times as well as being involved with numerous state championships. 

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Michael Baker, Fairmont – Michael has been the long time athletic director and men’s basketball coach at Fairmont.  He served a term on the North Carolina Athletic Directors Board of Directors, and from 2004 to 2007 served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.  He guided his team to an NCHSAA state basketball championship in 1994 and was also the Robeson County Teacher of the Year in 2007-08.

Special Person

Rich Wainwright, Pinehurst— Rich has been instrumental in helping to obtain one of the beautiful golf courses at Pinehurst for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association championships, which certainly provides “a memory forever” for our student-athletes and has been a great thrill for all those involved in the sport. The NCHSAA has greatly appreciated the great relationship it has with Rich, and he also helps coach the Pinecrest golf team.

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Jim Wilson, Rockingham County Schools—Jim is the athletic director for the Rockingham County schools and has been involved in so many different aspects of high school athletics.  He has been on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association and has served as a conference president on numerous occasions. 

Special Person

Curtis Swisher, Kernersville—Curtis Swisher is the town manager for the town of Kernersville, but it is completely appropriate that he is honored by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.  He has worked very closely with the NCHSAA to make sure the experience at the state cross country championships at Beeson Park is a first-class one, and he has worked tirelessly toward that goal. The course now hosts several outstanding cross country events. He is very supportive of youth sports initiatives, including running, in the town of Kernersville. 

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Doug Jones, Union County – Doug Jones is the athletic director for the Union County schools after serving at Monroe for many years.  He is a graduate of Monroe High and a graduate of Wingate University. He has also coached at both the high school and collegiate levels, helping with the Wingate women’s basketball team for years. 

Special Person

Scott Barringer— Scott Barringer has been one of the great advocates in the state for sports medicine and the health and welfare of our student athletes. He has served with distinction on the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and is a previous winner of the NCHSAA’s the Elton Hawley Athletic Trainers Award. He has also served as president of the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association Board of Directors. 

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Rexanna Lowman, Burke County—Rexanna Lowman is in the central office at Burke County Schools after a stint as principal at East Burke High School. She recently completed a four-year term on the NCHSAA Board of Directors. She did an outstanding job helping the Board deal with some major issues, speaking on behalf of the entire state but also representing Region 7 well. 

Special Person

James Hayes, Mount Airy— James Hayes has been a long time coach and teacher at Mount Airy.  He has been very instrumental in helping to run the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state tennis championships and has been a very successful coach. He has promoted the sport of tennis tirelessly, running youth camps in his area, and has been inducted into the Greater Mount Airy Sports Hall of Fame. 

Charlie Adams Distinguished Service

Davie Ball, Clyde Erwin—David Ball is the veteran athletic director at Clyde Erwin High School and has been involved with the NCHSAA in a number of capacities. He has a major role with the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association and represents that organization on the Board of Directors of the NCHSAA. He is in his 35th year of teaching at Erwin. 

Special Person

David Jones, Henderson County— David Jones is a veteran of the Henderson County school system, beginning his career as a teacher and coach there in 1978 and coached a men’s basketball team at Edneyville to a state title in 1984. He has touched about every base, including assistant principal, principal, senior director and then associate superintendent before being named superintendent in 2010. He has been recognized by the NCHSAA previously.