James May Collection 1883-2011

This collection contains materials from the life of James May (1921- ). His correspondence and the collecting of clippings document his ongoing engagement with his home town of Heilbronn, Germany, starting in the 1960s and particularly in the 1980s. It also includes other correspondence, personal papers, military materials, restitution files, genealogical materials relating to the family of his mother, Thekla Sänger May, and clippings and documents about his professional life as a textile designer.James May (1921- ) was born Julius Mai in Heilbronn to Heinrich Mai (Henry May, 1882-1954) from Würzburg and Thekla Sänger (1893-1961). He immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York in 1936. May was in the United States Army (Signal Corps) from 1940 to 1949. After his army service, he became an industrial designer, specializing in carpets. In his retirement, May reengaged with his hometown of Heilbronn, and also became a prolific writer of letters to the editor of various newspapers and journals.May's mother, Thekla Sänger May, was the founder and chairperson of the "Heilbronner Nachmittage", a semi-annual social get-together of German refugees with musical performances. She was assisted by Walter Strauss and Will Schaber.James May's parents and sister escaped from Germany with the help of Hans Walz, the private secretary of Robert Bosch, who was CEO of Robert Bosch GmbH. In 1940, Walz staged an "expulsion" of some of the remaining Jews of Württemberg across the border to France, thus allowing them to escape Nazi Germany and deportation to the east. In 1969, Walz was recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations.Processeddigitize