Larry May was born in Denver, Colorado, where his father was stationed at an Air Force base. His father’s military service also took them to Niagara Falls, New York. Eventually, the family returned to his parents’ roots in Southeastern Oklahoma, where they lived for a few years before settling in Newark, Ohio, a city of approximately 45,000 people in central Ohio, where May spent his formative years.
He is now blessed with his wife of 45 years, Valerie, three adult children (all graduates of the University of Tennessee), and four grandchildren, all living in Knoxville, creating new roots for the May legacy.
May’s current Knoxville loyalty might have been tested in December 2024, when No. 6 Ohio State defeated No. 9 Tennessee 42-17 in the College Football Playoff first-round game in Columbus.
Why would May have a loyalty to a Tennessee foe? Simply explained, he earned a baseball scholarship to OSU-Newark, where he lived his dream of playing collegiate baseball. Although he jokes that his claim to fame came through football, not baseball, where he played in high school against eventual two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. His claim of actually tackling Griffin may be dubious, but he stands by it!
Fans can note that UTK may have lost in football, but the baseball program holds the record over Ohio State, 6-5, since their last 2010 match-up.
May eventually graduated from Ohio State with a B.S. in Education and is also an alumnus of the University of Tennessee’s MPA Program.
May’s involvement in campus ministries eventually brought him to Knoxville. His career has taken several swings over the years, starting with his time as the State Director of a non-profit organization. Eventually, May entered into the private sector and is now the current owner of three companies:
- Wordsworth Classics, a distributor of classic books from England that sells 500,000 books each year
- Marble City Press, a calendar publisher and distributor for several companies.
- Freight Management Systems, a 3PL assisting customers in moving their products efficiently and inexpensively throughout the country.
His community service is demonstrated through his continued work in Rotary, including serving as president of two clubs: the North Knoxville Rotary Club and the Bearden Rotary Club, and being recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow twice during his tenure.
As part of the Bearden Rotary Club’s “Know Your Rotarian” segment, fellow member Dick Hinton shared four facts about Jyoti—three truths and one lie:
Three Truths and a LIE
- A former local TV news anchor is his daughter-in-law
- He was a Judo instructor and held a black belt
- Wife Valerie is a lay pastor at their church
- Reads, writes, and speaks French
If you guessed that wife Valerie is NOT a lay pastor at their church, then you are correct. However, Larry serves in that role at church.
May’s daughter-in-law, Abby Ham, is a former longtime anchor for WBIR who recently left the station to launch her own business.
May was a judo instructor and formerly held a black belt.
He also reads, writes, and speaks French. He says… poorly!
The Rotary Club of Bearden meets every Friday, 12:15 p.m. for a luncheon meeting/program at Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike, 37919. All guests are welcome. Contact Joseph Pace with membership questions: here. This week’s speaker will be Theotis Robinson, the first African American to be accepted at the University of Tennessee.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our Free Newsletter.
