International economist and educator

Elizabeth May (Courtesy photo)

Dr. Elizabeth Stoffregen May, a leader in international economic development and education for women, died of natural causes Sunday, March 27, 2011, at her home in Harvard. She was 103.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated her to be a member of the board of the United States Export-Import Bank, the official export credit agency of the United States. After her confirmation by the Senate, she served in this position until 1969. She was the first woman to serve in this capacity. Her work included representing the bank internationally, at times meeting with heads of state. Large parts of her work focused on developing countries.

Starting in 1949, prior to her work for the Bank, May served for 15 years as dean of the college and academic dean at Wheaton College in Norton. Twice during her tenure, she served as acting president, a role that included helping to lead plans for a potential major expansion of the college. She received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Wheaton College in 1962.

May was a consistent supporter of the importance of higher education for women and organizational support for female students, with special emphasis on students in developing countries. After many years of participating in the American Association of University Women (AAUW), she was elected first vice president of AAUW in 1969, and served in that position for eight years. She was also active in the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), serving as president of that body from 1974 to 1977.

Originally arriving in Washington, D.C., in the 1930s, May was an active member of the Washington community, mainly living in Georgetown. She returned to D.C. in 1964, upon joining the Export-Import Bank. Among other notable contributions during her residence, May in the early 1970s served as chairman of the board of the Wolf Trap Foundation, presiding over the development, construction, and opening of Wolf Trap, the first national park for the performing arts. She continued to reside in Washington through the late 1970s.

In the later years of her life, she returned to her home in Harvard, where she was actively involved in local community affairs. One of her main priorities was the support of the Harvard Conservation Trust.

She also continued to receive recognition for her achievements. In 1981, Radcliffe College chose her to be one of the 40 subjects for their "Women in the Federal Government Oral History Project." In 1999, she was one of 30 women, including Julia Child and Betty Friedan, to be honored by her alma mater, Smith College, as "Remarkable Alumni." In 2000, as she was approaching her 94th birthday, she was honored by the town of Harvard as its annual "Citizen of Note."

May was known as an optimistic, motivated, pleasant, and gracious person, who was dedicated to positive change in education, international development, and opportunities for women. She was always oriented toward the future, and deflected attention from her own achievements. Serving as an informal advisor or mentor to those who sought her counsel was a priority for her, though her dedication wasn't often publicly visible. One measure of the impact that she had on many people's lives came on the occasion of her 100th birthday, when she received literally hundreds of letters and cards from people who were grateful for the personal interest she had clearly shown in them.

May was born Elizabeth Augusta Stoffregen on April 25, 1907, in St. Louis, Mo. She was the granddaughter of mid-19th century German immigrants who settled in German-American communities in St. Louis, and Quincy, Ill. She was also the oldest of four sisters, all now deceased.

Her paternal grandfather, Charles Stoffregen, came to America shortly after the Civil War. He started a grocery store in St. Louis, and then later partnered with Julius Steinwender to found the coffee-roasting and importing firm Steinwender and Stoffregen. The firm was involved in the 1911 creation of the predecessor of the National Coffee Association. May's father, Carl, moved to become the lead New York representative of the firm at their 87-89 Wall Street location around 1915.

Her family lived in Montclair, N.J.

After graduating from high school in Montclair in 1924, she matriculated at Smith College Northampton. She graduated with honors as a part of the Class of 1928, majoring in economics. With support from professors at Smith and elsewhere, she moved to London to enter a PhD program at the London School of Economics (LSE) the following fall. It was at LSE that she met her future husband, Geoffrey May. Mr. May held a number of positions in the U.S. Federal government, including the U.S. Department of Labor, upon returning to the United States. He was also the author of several books, a graduate of Harvard Law School, and a Fellow of the Royal Economic Society in England.

May received her doctorate after two years in London, and an additional year of post-graduate work at Radcliffe College in 1930–1931. She and Mr. May married in 1931, after which the couple moved to Washington, D.C. At that time she joined Goucher College of Baltimore, Md., teaching as a professor of economics for eight years. She subsequently served as a budget analyst for the U.S. Department of the Treasury (1939-1941), as a principal financial analyst at the U.S. Bureau of the Budget (1941-1947), and on the American Mission to Greece, a part of the Marshall Plan, during 1947–1948.

Elizabeth's husband died in 1964. She is survived by seven nieces and nephews, nine grandnephews and-nieces, and eight great-grandnephews and-nieces.

A memorial service will be held in Harvard in June.