Saunders, Webb presented Order of the Long Leaf Pine

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ROCKINGHAM — Two longtime members of Richmond County’s legal community were bestowed the state’s highest honor late last week.

Former district attorney Reece Saunders and lawyer Bill Webb were each presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on Friday.

The award, conferred by the governor, is given to those who have made significant contributions to the state and their community.

Saunders, a Rockingham High School graduate, earned his law degree from the Wake Forest School of Law in 1977. As a lawyer, Saunders represented Pee Dee Electric and the city of Rockingham.

In addition to being in private practice, Saunders served as a district court judge in the ‘80s.

Saunders was first elected as DA in 2010 and won each subsequent reelection, with the district going through several changes during his time in office. He retired in September, with Jamie Adams named as his successor.

Click here to read that story.

Webb is also a Wake Forest law grad, earning his Juris Doctor in 1978, and he was admitted to the N.C. State Bar the following year.

During his 45 years of legal practice, Webb served as the attorney for the Richmond County government.

Webb’s community service extended to previously being a board member of the Local Government Commission, and Richmond County Board of Elections, as well as serving as the chairman of the local Democratic Party. He currently serves as a board member of the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority, the FirstHealth Moore Regional Health Care System and the Community Foundation of Richmond County.

As owner of Webb Farm in Ellerbe, he has earned several accolades for conservation.

Their awards came at the end of the same week that Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump was presented the OLLP.

Click here to read that story.

Richmond County has seen its share of OLLP recipients over the past decade including: Former Rockingham mayors G.R. Kindley and Gene McLaurin; former Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood; former Hamlet fire chief Calvin White and former police chief Scott Waters; former East Rockingham fire chief Bill Dennis; the late Dr. Fred McQueen; former Richmond County sheriff’s deputy Sam Jarrell; former Richmond County Commissioner Thad Ussery; former FirstHealth EMS director Tommy Cook; former Dobbins Heights leaders Gracie Jackson, Channie McManus and Robert Broady; David Pearson, former executive director of Samaritan Colony; and Nellie Parsons, former co-owner and operator of Pate’s Cleaners and Village Laundry.

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