Page 46 - COMP Magazine - Winter 2018
P. 46
COMP Professor James May remembered as
technology pioneer, Commencement architect
May passed away in May 2018, however his legacy crossword puzzles as relaxation. I write programs.
with COMP will stretch far into the University’s It’s a very good self-accomplishment when it works.”
future. May started with COMP in August 1981, May’s former administrative assistant, Kelly Mack,
retiring in 2017. He earned his PhD from the also remembers him as an “undercover computer
University of Southern California and worked for geek,” but also as a supportive and kind supervisor.
several years at Louisiana State University School of “He supported my efforts to continue my education.
Medicine in New Orleans. COMP administrator He was the type of manager who wanted you to
Nadir Khan, PhD, was recruiting faculty members succeed, but on your own merits so he was not going
at an anatomy meeting in Florida in April 1979 and to come to your aid every time you tripped up or
invited May to take a tour of campus. May, a made a mistake. But he was quick to come to your
Southern California native, toured COMP while aid if he felt you were unjustly targeted,” she said.
visiting family later that year.
In addition to being an early pioneer of technology at
COMP’s registrar at the time was recording grades WesternU, May is known as the architect of
in a journal and converting them to grade point WesternU’s Commencement ceremonies. He joined
averages, which was time consuming. During one COMP’s Commencement committee before the first
Labor Day weekend, May wrote a prototype ceremony in 1982. The next year, WesternU President
program that kept track of students’ grades and Philip Pumerantz appointed him committee chair, a
calculated GPA.
position he held for two decades before passing the
“Aside from his wife and family, Dr. May had two torch to Vice President for Enrollment Management
passions in life – histology and Apple computers,” and University Student Affairs Beverly Guidry, EdD.
said COMP Interim Chair of Anatomy Craig “Dr. May devised a system for handling the large
Kuehn, PhD. “He came to COMP to teach and he
Dr. James May number of faculty and students attending and
designed a course around a microscope lab, but he making a place for family hooders in a well-
also had a proficiency in computer languages and choreographed system that is in its essence the same
As the architect of Western University of Health designed a program to work with a Scantron reader as we use today,” Kuehn said.
Sciences’ Commencement ceremonies, the designer of to grade, assess and record all the tests the pre-
its anatomy labs, and an early adopter of computers clinical medical students took.” May will be missed by the University, but his
on campus, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the He believed whatever a human can do, a computer contributions will affect generations of future health
Pacific Anatomy Professor James May, PhD, has had can do it faster. “It’s a matter of telling the computer care providers. “He was never flashy, which made
an impact on just about every student who has what to do and how to do it,” May told a reporter in him all the more impressive. The world is a bit
walked the campus Esplanade. poorer without him, but heaven is all the richer now
2017. “The bottom line is some people sit and work
for having him,” Kuehn said. n
44 The Future of Medicine
technology pioneer, Commencement architect
May passed away in May 2018, however his legacy crossword puzzles as relaxation. I write programs.
with COMP will stretch far into the University’s It’s a very good self-accomplishment when it works.”
future. May started with COMP in August 1981, May’s former administrative assistant, Kelly Mack,
retiring in 2017. He earned his PhD from the also remembers him as an “undercover computer
University of Southern California and worked for geek,” but also as a supportive and kind supervisor.
several years at Louisiana State University School of “He supported my efforts to continue my education.
Medicine in New Orleans. COMP administrator He was the type of manager who wanted you to
Nadir Khan, PhD, was recruiting faculty members succeed, but on your own merits so he was not going
at an anatomy meeting in Florida in April 1979 and to come to your aid every time you tripped up or
invited May to take a tour of campus. May, a made a mistake. But he was quick to come to your
Southern California native, toured COMP while aid if he felt you were unjustly targeted,” she said.
visiting family later that year.
In addition to being an early pioneer of technology at
COMP’s registrar at the time was recording grades WesternU, May is known as the architect of
in a journal and converting them to grade point WesternU’s Commencement ceremonies. He joined
averages, which was time consuming. During one COMP’s Commencement committee before the first
Labor Day weekend, May wrote a prototype ceremony in 1982. The next year, WesternU President
program that kept track of students’ grades and Philip Pumerantz appointed him committee chair, a
calculated GPA.
position he held for two decades before passing the
“Aside from his wife and family, Dr. May had two torch to Vice President for Enrollment Management
passions in life – histology and Apple computers,” and University Student Affairs Beverly Guidry, EdD.
said COMP Interim Chair of Anatomy Craig “Dr. May devised a system for handling the large
Kuehn, PhD. “He came to COMP to teach and he
Dr. James May number of faculty and students attending and
designed a course around a microscope lab, but he making a place for family hooders in a well-
also had a proficiency in computer languages and choreographed system that is in its essence the same
As the architect of Western University of Health designed a program to work with a Scantron reader as we use today,” Kuehn said.
Sciences’ Commencement ceremonies, the designer of to grade, assess and record all the tests the pre-
its anatomy labs, and an early adopter of computers clinical medical students took.” May will be missed by the University, but his
on campus, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the He believed whatever a human can do, a computer contributions will affect generations of future health
Pacific Anatomy Professor James May, PhD, has had can do it faster. “It’s a matter of telling the computer care providers. “He was never flashy, which made
an impact on just about every student who has what to do and how to do it,” May told a reporter in him all the more impressive. The world is a bit
walked the campus Esplanade. poorer without him, but heaven is all the richer now
2017. “The bottom line is some people sit and work
for having him,” Kuehn said. n
44 The Future of Medicine
