Monday, December 17, 2007
May recognized by peers as Indiana Social Worker of
the Year
 Gary E. May, MSSW, LCSW, was presented with the 2007 National Association of Social Work (NASW) Indiana Social Worker of the Year Award at the state NASW conference in Indianapolis in October. The award winner was chosen by social workers from throughout the state.May, associate professor of social work and director of the USI/Epi-Hab Center for Disability Studies, joined USI in 1992. His teaching areas include social welfare policy, disability issues, veterans’ affairs, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He co-edited and co-authored the textbook, Ending Disability Discrimination: Strategies for Social Workers (Allyn and Bacon, 2005). He has more than three decades of clinical experience. May A Vietnam veteran, May was injured by a landmine explosion while serving as an infantryman with the marines in 1968. His professional career began with the Veterans Administration, where he was involved with the development of the readjustment counseling services program for veterans of the Vietnam War. In 1989, Governor Evan Bayh chose May to head the state Veterans Affairs Department. This was followed by a gubernatorial appointment to lead the Indiana Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. He also served as the director of outpatient services for Charter Hospital of Indianapolis. He is a founding member and chair of Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights, a 5,000-member veterans group opposed to a Constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration, and has testified before congressional committees on the issue. May is co-chair of the Evansville chapter of Veterans for Peace, and speaks in support of peace at area churches and events. He was the founding president of the National Alliance of Veteran Family Service Organizations and was a member of the court-appointed national advisory group for the Agent Orange class action litigation settlement. May received a Jefferson Award celebrating outstanding community and public service in 2003. Selected for the prestigious honor by The Evansville Courier & Press, he was recognized for his efforts to ensure individuals with disabilities have social, educational, vocational, and economic opportunities. In 2005, May was given the Reverend W.R. Brown Senior Peace and Justice Award and the Zion United Church of Christ Peace and Justice Award. He holds a Master of Science degree in social work from the University of Tennessee and Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Evansville. Also at the conference, the Rev. Phil Hoy received the NASW Indiana Citizen of the Year Award. Hoy is in his second term in the Indiana House of Representatives, is the interim pastor of Zion United Church of Christ in Henderson, and has been an ordained minister for 49 years. He recently received the 2007 Thomas R. Earley Humanitarian Award at Art for Life, an auction that benefits Tri-state AIDS services and HIV prevention efforts. He formerly served as executive director of the Tri-State Food Bank and as executive director of the Metropolitan Evansville Youth Service Bureau. Wendy Knipe Bredhold News and Information Services 812/461-5259 wkbredhold@usi.edu |
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