Elizabeth May chats with Senator Pam Resor at her 100th birthday celebration. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

When asked to describe the life and character of centenarian Elizabeth May, close friends Audrey Ball and Larry Finnegan both chose the same word: “inspirational.”

May, who turned 100 years old Wednesday, April 25, celebrated passing the century mark at a small gathering in her home last Saturday afternoon. The party came as no surprise to Finnegan, he said. “She was there because she planned to be there,” he said. “She made plans to be 100.” The occasion gave both Ball and Finnegan a chance to reflect on May’s lifetime of many extraordinary acomplishments, which included important achievements on the local, national, and international stage.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1907, Elizabeth Stoffregen May pursued a path highly unusual for women of her generation. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in economics, and then—in a move almost unprecedented at the time—went on to study for a Ph.D. in that same subject from the London School of Economics. She was awarded a doctorate in 1931, the same year she married her husband, attorney Geoffrey May. The couple was married for 33 years, until Geoffrey’s death in 1964.

Elizabeth May at age 19. (Courtesy photo)

After her return to the U.S., May’s career as an economic theorist and teacher led to various positions in both academia and government. Before the second world war, May taught economics at Goucher College, leaving only to work as an economic analyst in the U.S. Bureau of the Budget during the Roosevelt and Truman administrations. After helping the government transition the economy from wartime to peace, May took on another mission as consultant to the government of Greece, helping to stabilize that country’s postwar economy. Returning to academia in 1949, May accepted a position as dean at Wheaton College, during which time she also stepped in twice as acting president. After 13 years at Wheaton, May was tapped by the Johnson administration to serve on the board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the first woman ever appointed to do so. She served on that board for five years, traveling the world in her work for the bank. When she was assigned to go to Argentina in the 1960s, Ball said, the other members of the board urged her to go with another, male, member of the board for protection. May thought it was a ridiculous idea, and told the board so in short order. “She could handle whatever came her way,” Ball said.

Throughout her life, May was actively involved in many organizations dedicated to the education and advancement of women. She served as director and president of the International Federation of University Women, volunteered for the American Association of University Women for many years, and was a founding member of the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund of University Women. She cared deeply about the education of women, Finnegan said, and dedicated a large portion of her life to that cause.