WPSA

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unknownBy a large majority vote of the WPSA Council George May, M.B.E. has become the third member of the Association to receive the Macdougall Medal. This is the highest award within the power of the Association to grant and was initiated in 1962. At the time when the first award was made (to the late Major Macdougall) the minutes of the WPSA recorded the following statement by the then President of the Association: "The Council of the World's Poultry Science Association initiated an award to mark its appreciation of outstanding services from which it (the WPSA) has benefited". Major Macdougall was the first to receive the Medal in 1962. Dr Heuser (Hon. Past Secretary) of USA was the second recipient in 1966. George May becomes - with every justification - the third member to join this select group. George is, of course, Production Manager of the WPSA Journal, a post to which he was appointed in 1964 and in which he still continues. But while the steady improvement in the presentation of our Journal is widely recognised this was by no means the sole reason for the support he received from almost 90 per cent of the Councilors voting. The citation offered on his behalf by the first Branch proposing him for the award reads: "Mr May came to the 'rescue' of the Association at the time of Macdougall's sudden death by at once taking over the secretarial duties and maintaining the WPSA Office in operation. One of the major claims advanced on behalf of Mr May for the award is that the WPSA manifestly owes its existence at this time to Mr May who gave up other activities to ensure the survival of the WPSA".
Mr May, who has been a member of the Association for about 40 years, is, of course, a familiar figure in the WPSA and is personally known to a large section of the membership through his regular attendance at Congresses and Conferences. But members may not be so well-acquainted with other aspects of his career. His first 'job' was with the British Army at the outbreak of the War in 1914 which he joined as a volunteer. At this stage he evinced his single major handicap which many of us share, a weakness in arithmetic - the minimum age for the Army was 18, George was under 17.
At the end of hostilities George began a career in journalism and soon became sub-editor of "Poultry World", the leading poultry journal in the UK. From this stage onwards poultry and journalism became his dual interests in life. He was appointed Editor of "Poultry World" in 1933 and continued in that position until his retirement in 1962.
George has to his credit more honours and awards than probably any other in the profession of journalism He is the proud possessor of the M.B.E. (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), having appeared in the Prime Minister's list in the 1963 New Year's Honours. He is alone in having received the three top honours of the British Poultry Industry - the B.O.C.M. Poultry Award (1959), the Goodchild Trophy of the British Turkey Federation (1960) and a Distinguished Service to the Industry Award of the British Poultry & Egg Producers Association (1961).

World's Poultry Science Journal (1972) 28(4): 388