Jack May, founder of Stonewall, Waynesborough diesA. John May (‘Jack’), 79, of Berwyn, Pa., a prominent lawyer and businessman, died suddenly Easter morning of heart failure at his second home in Hobe Sound, Fla.
Mr. May joined the law firm of Duane, Morris and Heckscher (now Duane Morris LLP), headquartered in Philadelphia, in 1954. He was made a partner in the firm in 1962, served as vice-chairman from 1985-90, chairman and CEO from 1990-95 and counsel to the firm from his retirement in 1999 until his death. He loved the legal profession and convinced his son and three daughters to attend law school as the best form of education possible. In addition to the practice of law, Mr. May was active in many business ventures involving property and casualty companies and various publicly and privately owned manufacturing companies. He was a director and then chairman of the PMA Capital Corporation, a director of the PMA Foundation and a director of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association. Mr. May was also very involved in his community. In 1988, the Easttown Township Board of Supervisors honored Mr. May for his nearly 30 years of continuous township service. He served on the township Zoning Board of Adjustment from 1959-84 as both a member of the committee and its chairman, as well as serving as a member and chairman of the township’s Planning Commission from 1970-83. He was a board member and later president of the School Board and a member of the township Board of Supervisors. He was instrumental in developing Trinity House in Berwyn, a living facility for low and middle-income elderly residents. Perhaps as important as the practice of law, Mr. May loved the game of golf. A member of several golf clubs, including Pine Valley Golf Club and Loblolly Golf Course, Mr. May was one of the founders and early presidents of Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, Pa., and the founder and chairman of Stonewall in Elverson, Pa. With the active support of his wife, he traveled to England, Scotland and Ireland every summer for 25 years to play golf at the birthplace of the game and owned a house in the Dominican Republic where he could indulge his passion during the winter. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Gwendolyn, his son, A. John May III and his wife, Jeanne of Paoli, Pa., his daughters, Ann Moore of Milford, Conn., Susan Eckman and her husband, Rick of Chadds Ford, Pa., and Elizabeth Gieske and her husband, Edward of Paoli, Pa., and 14 grandchildren. He will be remembered by his family as a man who shaped their lives with the force of his intellect and his personality and for his generosity; and who was always there when needed. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in his memory to the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Fund. |
A Walk Through Time
GAP is the oldest state or regional golf association in the country. It started courtesy of a friendly competition – the Team Matches – and has grown into the preeminent golf association in the country. Along the way, golf history has been made.
