Jeff May:
CLASS OF 1975
West Carteret High SchoolClass of 1975
Morehead city, NC
Swansboro High SchoolClass of 1974
Swansboro, NC
White Oak Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
Swansboro, NC
Jeff's Story
After high school I went to Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville. During the christmas break I traveled with Bill Goff to Oahu (dec.'75). There was a big swell hitting the north shore and the waves were 15 feet+. Sunset beach was monsterous and breaking across the deep water channel. Don't take the lefts 'cause the face jacks so quickly that it will beat you to the bottom and the rights go on for ever like a freighttrain. Pipeline was absolute bliss with makeable barrels left and right.
I dropped out of Coastal and did carpentry work at Cape Carteret.I worked for a residential home builder and also worked building homes at the beach on pillings. I was a form carpenter for the power substation built at Pine knoll shores. In '78 I moved to Asheville and continued to do carpentry work on such projects as a gymnasiun, the Coca Cola bottling plant in Builtmore, a spillway for the Beacon manufacturing resevoir, a steam engine resoration at the craddle of forestry, carpenter for the construction of Bojangles on Merrimon Ave, construction on scales at the livestock auction in Ashville, remodeling of a Western Auto in Weaverville and subsequent building of a barn for the owner.
In 1980 I was hired on with Southern Railway. They sent me to signal training at Southern Railway University in McDonnough Ga. I worked as a signalman and also as a signal maintainer. As a signalman we traveled throughout the southeast installing automatic railroad control, eight ten hour days on and six days off. We installed crossing signals, train signals, switch machines, bridge signals, electric lock switches and the signal cases with the electronics to operate them. We trenched cable along the tracks, made line drops from power pole, wired the signal cases and powered the installation. As a signal maintainer I became a journeyman by bidding on and securing the position as signal maintainer at Alexandria Va. I was responsible for the first seventeen miles of double main line from Washington D.C. to Atlanta Ga.
In '83 I quit the railroad and went back to work as a carpenter in Ashville. I moved in with my new girlfriend. She raised quarterhorses and I was handy building fences. At this time I enrolled at Ashville- Buncome tech where I took electronics technology.
In '85 after another h...Expand for more
eartbreak I moved to Atlanta. I worked as a commercial carpenter using metal framing instead of wood. The pay scale in Atlanta was three times higher than in Ashville. I did a lot of office lease space renovations.
I ran into an old friend from Pettifords Creek, Mike Harper. Mike introduced me to the exhibit/convention buisness. The majority of our work took place at the World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. When there wasn't a show going on we would work in the shops either constucting new exhibits or refurbishing old ones. We also would travel to other cities and set shows.
While in Atlanta I met Judith. She owned a home in Dahlonega, sixty miles north of Atlanta where the Appalachain mountains begin. Dahlonega is the site of Americas' first gold rush. We ended up moving into the house and tried to commute to Atlanta. Sometimes the rush-hour trip would take two hours. I began to advertise my carpentry services and soon weaned myself from Atlanta.
I found Dahlonega to be entering into it's second gold-rush. As it is located in the foothills along with Lake Lanier, it is the first stop for second homes, recreation, siteseeing, and revelling in the gold-rush tourism by the prominence of Atlanta.
In '95 I found an old farm place built in 1850 on the Etowah River. The old house was decreped and I was able to pick it up along with six acres and 700 ft. river frontage for a steal. I restored the old house along with modern updates and have turned it into a southern living showplace. The property is totally secluded so privacy is at a premium. I completed the renovation in 2001 just in time to celebrate my grandmother's 100th birthday along with my extened family. That same year my second grandmother (mamaw) also turned 100!
The house is historic as well as being the homeplace of Frank Christian co-founder of what was to become Nascar Racing. Before the prohibition was over Frank Christian and Bill Frances used their cars to run whitelightening (moonshine). Also during the trail of tears roundup of the Cherokee Indians, then residents Davis' who were intermarried with the local Cherokee hid those related Cherokee in the attic.
I have since purchased additional acerage along the river. I still own a Five bedroom brick ranch in the city of Dahlonega.
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