Johnny May

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Not to be confused with Jonny May.

Johnny May
Born1945 (age 78–79)[1][2]
Fort Severight, Quebec, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationBush pilot
SpouseLouisa May
Parents
  • Bob May (father)
  • Nancy Angatuk (mother)
RelativesMary Simon (sister)

Johnny May (born 1945) is a Canadian Inuk bush pilot living in Kuujjuaq, known as being the first Inuk pilot in eastern Canada. He is credited with saving the lives of many Inuit in search-and-rescue missions and operating medevac airplane services to transport sick Inuit to health centres. May is the older brother of Canadian Governor General, Mary Simon.

Family

His father was a non-Inuit manager of the Hudson's Bay Company trading post in Fort Severight (now Kangiqsualujjuaq), while his mother was a local Inuk.[3] Among his 7 siblings, his sister Mary Simon is a former president of Makivik Corporation, former diplomat and the current Governor General of Canada.

Career

May obtained his pilot's licence in 1962 after training in Pennsylvania. Through his company, Johnny May's Air Charters, he flew search-and-rescue missions in the Arctic tundra, as well as medevacs between Inuit villages and from Nunavik to hospitals in southern Canada.[2]

He is known for his annual Christmas candy drop, which occurred annually from 1965 until 2019.[4][5] On Christmas day, he would take his airplane and shower the village of Kuujjuaq with candy and gifts.[6][7]

Legacy

He was inducted into the Québec Air and Space Hall of Fame in 2010. A movie about his life and career entitled The Wings of Johnny May was released in 2014 in English, French and Inuktitut.[8] A children's book about his annual candy drop titled The Kuujjuaq Christmas Candy Drop by Linda Brand was released in 2015.[9] In 2017 a short animated film was produced by the CBC called The Great Northern Candy Drop.

References

  1. ^ "The Wings of Johnny May". Canada's Arctic Journal Above & Beyond. October 31, 2010. p. 43. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Mendes, Sonia (December 18, 2019). "A living legend: Museum honours Johnny May's final holiday flight". Ingenium Channel. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  3. ^ Qumaq, Taamusi (2010). Je veux que les Inuit soient libres du nouveau. Presses de l'Université du Québec. p. 64. ISBN 978-2-7605-2580-1.
  4. ^ "Il pleut des bonbons à Kuujjuaq | Objectif Nord | Télé-Québec". objectifnord.telequebec.tv.
  5. ^ Mendes, Sonia (December 17, 2020). "A living legend: Saying farewell to Johnny May's sweet tradition". The Ingenium Channel. Ingenium. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Prince, David. "Des cadeaux tombent du ciel depuis 51 ans". Le Journal de Montréal.
  7. ^ MATIGNON, LOUIS DE GOUYON (January 29, 2019). Dictionnaire inuit: Dialecte du Nunavik (in French). Editions L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-14-011188-4.
  8. ^ News, Nunatsiaq (April 7, 2014). "Legendary Inuk pilot, Johnny May of Nunavik, celebrated in big new documentary". Nunatsiaq News. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ "Children's book celebrates the Kuujjuaq Christmas Candy Drop". cbc.ca.
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