Former High Point superintendent gets high state honor

HIGH POINT — The man who was the last superintendent of the High Point City Schools recently received North Carolina's highest honor.

C. Owen Phillips of Winston-Salem, a lifelong educator, was recently awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Gov. Roy Cooper in recognition of lifetime of community service.

Phillips was the superintendent of High Point City Schools when voters approved its merger with Greensboro City Schools and Guilford County Schools in 1993 to create the current countwide Guilford County Schools.

Phillips grew up in the Francisco area of Stokes County, attended Guilford College and earned advanced degrees at Appalachian University and Duke University. He made a career of working in the public schools in North Carolina, beginning as a teacher and ultimately a superintendent in several North Carolina School systems.

Phillips worked closely with three North Carolina governors to improve educational opportunities for all North Carolina Students.

Phillips was married for 52 years to the late Linda Sheppard Phillips and has one son, Chadwick Phillips of Winston-Salem.