JEFF MAY VOTED HERO IN RED LAKE TRAGEDY
A year after Red Lake tragedy, teen voted hero Jeff May, who has been credited with saving lives during last year's school shootings, placed first in a national vote conducted by Reader's Digest.
Howie Padilla, Star Tribune
Last update: March 03, 2006 – 11:41 PM
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Audio: Shane May says the award is very exciting
Red Lake High School shooting survivor Jeff May will be featured as Reader's Digest's Hero of the Year in its April editions.
Jeff, who turned 16 Friday, was featured last year in the magazine's "Everyday Heroes" section and received the most votes among more than 16,000 cast in the contest through its website, Reader's Digest.
Jeff was shot in the face when he tried to tackle schoolmate Jeff Weise during a March 21 shooting spree in which Weise killed nine people before killing himself. Jeff suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed.
Jeff wasn't home when the magazine called with the news, so his brother Shane fielded the call.
When Shane told Jeff the news, there was disbelief.
"Don't be lying to me," Jeff warned.
"No, man. You won," Shane told him.
Among the other 11 nominees were a New York firefighter who pulled a man from a burning house and a fifth-grade school crossing guard who pulled a boy from the path of a van.
"I knew it was going to be kind of a tough race," Jeff said.
Red Lake school officials told Jeff that students across the country had contacted them saying they were voting for him.
Along with the title, Jeff and his brothers will take a trip to New York for a ceremony, during which they can ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Officials have also arranged for the family to see the Statue of Liberty and possibly a New York Knicks basketball or New York Mets baseball game, said Scott Gorenstein, a spokesman for the company representing Reader's Digest.
Even in musing over what will be the family's first-ever flight, Shane May's mind shifted to the aftermath of his brother's sacrifice, which has been credited with saving lives.
"We got to get it OK'd for him to get on a plane," Shane said. "He had a stroke. We don't know if there's difficulties for stroke patients. We got to make sure everything is medically checked."
Still, he said, the announcement gave the family a much-needed boost.
"It's something else to win an award for Hero of the Year," Shane said.
"He was uplifted by it."
Howie Padilla • 651-298-1551
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My Two Beads Worth sends best wishes and congratulations to Jeff May for winning this award! He is a true hero and a great role model.
Special thanks to Bea Woodward for sending this on!
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March 2006 Reports
Last updated on March 12, 2006