Say Goodbye to Dave May
5-28-13
Story by Don Faust, Kevin Stith and Christine May.
Edited by Richard Parks
Photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz
Dave was born in Pomona, California on April 9th, 1955. Dave went to Pomona Lutheran through 6th grade and moved to St. Madeline's for 7th & 8th grade. He met his lifelong best friend, Don Faust, when he came to St Madeline's in 7th grade. He loved playing basketball; in fact he played so much he'd wear out a pair of basketball shoes in less than a month. In high school Dave's passion tuned to Hemi Cars and Music. He loved Rock & Roll and the Harder the Rock the more Dave loved it. Dave Graduated from Damien High School in La Verne, California in 1974. He frequently treated his little brother and sister to concerts and drag races, and was a great big brother.
After High School he worked for Turner Construction, where his dad was an executive. Dave tired of construction and moved on to running Car Washes and working at a company that produced steel doors. Somewhere along the line, because of his love for music and going to concerts, he went to work for Golden Voice Promotions. Dave loved this job and when Golden Voice fell upon hard times Dave was laid off. Dave took it pretty hard and for the first time in his life Dave was not working 7 days a week, in fact he didn't do anything for almost three years. Dave was heartbroken, he loved working for Golden Voice and the loss of that job and the eventual sale of Golden Voice really affected him. After a 3 year hiatus Dave was asked to help promote a car show by distributing flyers.
Dave created and owned Flyer Dave's, Flyering Service. Dave came back to life in a big way; his new passion for advertising by handing out flyers for car shows and local drag races was all-consuming. Dave lived, ate and breathed promoting car shows and drag races and handing out flyers. There is nothing in this world Dave loved more than being involved with people who showed and raced their cars. Dave loved Drag Racing and Car Shows. He was passionate about his business, "Flyer Dave" distributing flyers for local drag races and car shows. Dave probably knew more of what was going on locally than anyone. Dave loved Mopar's, especially Hemi Cars.
Dave May passed away on May 14, 2013 due to an illness. He is survived by his father and mother who now live on the east coast, his brother and his family in Tennessee, and his younger sister and her family in Virginia. He is deeply missed.
“I first met David May when organizers were trying to build and operate a dragstrip out in Banning, California,” said Richard Parks. “May labored in obscurity passing out flyers and talking to whomever would listen to him, like a Johnny Appleseed of drag racing. He had come to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and we met and got to talking. I offered to help him where I could and at the time I ran a little emailed newsletter called The Car Racers Newsletter. He would give me flyers and I would send out an edition with all the news that he had uncovered. It was frustrating work for Dave for the most part, but when the 1/8th mile dragstrip opened at Irwindale or the ¼ mile dragstrip opened in Fontana, it made his day. There seemed to be more frustrations in his efforts to further drag racing and open strips, but he kept an upbeat attitude and every time I saw him over a ten year span he always had more news for me,” Parks continued.
“I never got him to write his biography, so the little that I know comes from our discussions at various events. He was very organized and his van had orderly bins and folders with various flyers for different events. He not only mass produced them and put them on cars, but he went up to people and engaged them in personal conversation. He was animated about what he was doing and in a way we were kindred spirits, for he used the printed word and I used the digital word to spread what we knew about the hot rodding culture. But maybe that is enough if what I remember about him is his zeal and love for racing,” Parks concluded.
Gone Racin’ is at [email protected].