Mr. Clifford B. May (who won't reveal what that middle initial stands for) is retiring after almost 37 years of teaching, He was born in Kirkland, Illinois, on December 7, 1891. After attending a "country school" through fifth grade, he attended a "city school" but jumped into eighth grade. This was because of the high level of teaching in the "country school."

Belvidere High School near Rockford saw him graduate at the age of 16. Then this remarkable young man taught at a District school for a year‑at the age of 16! Since he was the only person available to teach, he taught almost all grammar‑school grades, with classes ranging from five to 15 minutes.

When asked how he decided to become a teacher, Mr. May answered, "I guess I just decided I would be. I had always wanted to be a teacher."

For his college education, Mr. May chose the University of Illinois at Urbana. While he was there, he received his Bachelor of Science degree.

Following his graduation from college, Mr. May entered the United States Army and taught for two years in the air corps. During these two he taught at Champaign and Bellville.

Career at Maine Begins

The school year 1926‑27 found him beginning his career at Maine East, and just this last year he moved to Maine West. Among the subjects he has taught are English I, II, III, and IV, general science, civics, public speaking, agriculture and conservation. Presently he is teaching conservation and English IV, Literature.

It was during the time that he was teaching agriculture, that his nickname of "farmer" became common to the students. But this was nothing new to Mr. May. Before this, people in his home town had called him "young farmer" to distinguish him from his father whom they called "old farmer."

Tells of Life Today

Today Mr. May is married and has one daughter, who is now Mrs. Maureen Moll. He is also the proud grandfather of two children-Jennifer, 11 and Clifford, 3.

When asked how he felt about the Maine West chapter of the Future Teachers of America being named after him, he humbly replied, "I feel very pleased and very happy about it. It was a very nice gesture to a retiring man."

For tomorrow's teachers, Mr. May has these words of encouragement: "The future of teaching is a great deal brighter as far as salary, social position, and opportunity." Mr. May was also asked what he thought of the fact that some students decided not to finish high school and then declared, "They're suckers if they don't, and if you are staying in school, you can do the best with what you've got. Study, I mean."

We certainly do envy Mr. May with all that leisure time on his hands next year!