jackson touchdown club presented by cellularsouth scholarship fund

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    In March, 1999, the Jackson Touchdown club established the Gene May Scholarship Fund in honor of the late Gene May, a Past President and 50 year member of the Club.  Mr. May was the founder of May & Company, Inc., a Jackson wholesale appliance parts business.

    The Gene May Scholarship Fund will assist high school students with college tuition.  The fund was named after Mr. May by a unanimous vote of the Jackson Touchdown Club Board of Directors.  The Club previously provided scholarship funds to needy students under the name of the first President and founder of the Jackson Touchdown Club, Dr. Lacey Hughes. 

    Gene May joined the Jackson Touchdown Club in 1948, just two short years after the Club was originated by Dr. Hughes and a group of 15 football fans in 1946.  Mr. May served the Club in various capacities including the office of President, several other offices, and an ongoing member of the Board of Directors.  In 1998, Gene received a 50 year membership honor for his dedication to the Jackson Touchdown Club.

    A native of Chunky, Mississippi, Gene May was raised in Newton where he graduated from Newton High School.  He played college football and baseball at Mississippi College and received his degree in 1935.  Upon graduation, he was named district manager for the Shaeffer Pen Company out of Louisville, Kentucky.  May was a World War II veteran, having served his country as a Lieutenant in the Navy stationed in Europe.  He created his company after receiving his Honorable Discharge.

    Gene was a member and Life Deacon of the First Baptist Church, a past president of the Sales Executive Club, a member of the Optimist Club, and he also served the Knife & Fork Club along with the Hinds County Cattleman’s Association.  Besides attending Jackson Touchdown Club meetings in the fall, Mr. May enjoyed raising cattle and managing the Newman family farm near Raymond.

    An avid follower of football, particularly his beloved alma mater, Mississippi College, Gene frequently provided the weekly game report to the club on the Choctaws’ football fortunes and he always contributed time and effort to the Jackson Touchdown Club.  He rarely missed a meeting in his five decades of membership and always provided tremendous support to the Club’s fundraising efforts. 

    Gene May left this life on January 27, 1999, at the age of 86.  He is survived by his wife, Polly; two daughters, Lynn Turner of Brussels, Belgium, and Tricia Bradford of Jackson; four grandchildren, Wyatt Hester of Denver, Colorado, Drew Hester of Newport Beach, California, Rob Bradford and Todd Bradford of Jackson; and one great grandchild, Shane Hester of Denver, Colorado.