When Ned Lamont was a young boy, he learned about rock music by listening to the Rolling Stones. Today, more than 50 years later, Lamont is governor of Connecticut, and he decided that legendary Stones guitarist Keith Richards should be the first recipient of a new honor known as the Governor’s Award of Excellence.

Richards, 81, who is British, has kept a home in Connecticut since 1985. He became the first recipient of the Connecticut Governor's Award of Excellence, receiving a custom-designed medallion and hearty applause from dozens attending the ceremony at the Westport Library.

Gov. Ned Lamont plans to honor rock legend Keith Richards with the first-ever Connecticut Governor’s Award of Excellence. Richards, a founding member of the world-renowned Rolling Stones, is a longtime Connecticut resident.