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COAST BUYER'S GUIDt
April 19. 1978
Nf'CCUl CN:
May Beyer
?ometimes it is very d to put into words impressions of - - and lings for - - someone. ;h is the case with the y before our Focus On nera this week, Mrs. R. Beyer.
VII the feelings are
o	d -	- all the
xessions are beauti-. But during our talks ether, although she ;wered direct ques-ns, her concern (or lers overshadowed y talk about herself.
\ list of some of her deavors reflects this ncern. Mrs. Beyer Iped to organize the lited Way in our county
and worked as its director for 10 years or so. She is now executive secretary of the organization.
Earlier she was chairman of the Heart Fund for Hancock County for 14 years. She was especially happy that so many children could be helped through the Heart Fund. Mrs. Beyer provided transportation for many of these children, as well as helping them in many other ways.
Mrs. Beyer was instrumental in getting the Senior Citizens Program started in Hancock County. She has also helped at one time or another with and for the retarded children?s program, the Gulf Coast Mental Health Association, RSVP and the summer program, especially the swimming portion of this activity.
She worked hard making sure that children whose families were in the welfare program had a chance to go to summer camp.
As one of her friends remarked, "Whenever you hear of a good ? program in this area, you can b3 sure May Beyer has been on it, for it, or began it herself. She is sure to have advanced its cause in some way."
It seems that May Beyer has always been interested in helping others. This has been a major part of her life.
One of her comments covered this pretty well. ..''One doesn't have to be 'nch to help people. One justi needs the desire to do so." She certainly has , shown this desife.... v
Mrs. Beyer has-ink in : ^her blood. She Is a writer
-	has always written. But . h6r,by-line is not''
\? well kfiown, since quite a bit ?of ? her work has >r*	?.	.
included "ghosting" for others.
Perhaps her best known writings concern the lady of Hancock County who did so much for mentally retarded children several years ago, Mrs. Arnette Giles. Mrs. Beyer met Mrs. Giles, believed in her work, helped all she could with and for the children, and wrote about what Mrs. Giles was accomplishing. This writing led to a national award in 1971, when Mrs. Beyer accompanied Mrs. Giles to Washington, D C., where they met President Nixon. Politicians at the time promised to help further Mrs. Giles' cause, but she didn't see too much progress during her lifetime. May Beyer is happy that a new law has been passed to help these youngsters and that more is being done for them now.
She was happy to report during one of our talks that the Retarded Children's School was the first organization to go into the United Way Fund in our area.
Mrs. Beyer is a Navy widow with three grown children. Her son Charles resides in California. Margaret, Mrs. Neal Burns, lives in Oklahoma. But Betty, Mrs. Peter Benvenutti, is
a resident of Bay St. Louis. Mrs. Beyer is proud of her 15 grandchildren and her greatgrandchild.
Besides her interest in writing and her great concern for children who need help, May Beyer keeps busy with calligraphy, her newest move into art. She is a creative person who does not like to be idle. She believes that the Lord gave everyone brains and ideas to use and that it is almost sinful not to use them.
However, she says that she "is not much on physical energy". We believe that she need not worry about calisthenics
with the energy she expends on others.
May Beyer is an individual who likestodo her own thing whether or not it is anyone else's "thing" to do.
But whether it is writing of someone else's good works, bringing a needed helpful organization into the area, or just doing what she can behind the scenes to help a secretary find a job, May Beyer accomplishes much by doing her own thing.
We are very glad to have met her and to know her.