Grand Master

Brother Mitchell Allen May was born on Friday, May 13, 1988, at Pikeville Methodist Hospital in Pikeville, Kentucky, the only child of Thomas Edward and Katrina (Blankenship) May. His paternal grandparents, Robert Lee and Hazel (Davis) May, were natives of Virginia, and his maternal grandparents, McClelland and Fayetta (Daugherty) Blankenship, were natives of Kentucky. The first seven years of Brother May’s life, he grew up in his father’s native Buchanan County, Virginia. At the age of four, his parents purchased a grocery store that once belonged to his paternal grandfather, as the May family had been engaged in the grocery business for four generations. Both of his grandfathers were proud coal miners who sacrificed their health and risked their lives for their families. His father, although not a coal miner, has been active in the coal industry for more than forty years, having built a successful coal trucking business.

Brother May attended Majestic-Knox Creek Elementary School and graduated as valedictorian from Phelps High School with the Class of 2006. He went on to graduate from Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville) with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in History/Political Science, summa cum laude, in 2009. He obtained a second Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, magna cum laude, from the University of Pikeville in 2014. Brother May was conferred the Degree of Doctor of Pharmacy by the Appalachian College of Pharmacy on May 02, 2020.

Brother May was initiated into Thomas DeVenny Lodge No. 928 as an Entered Apprentice on April 24, 2009, passed to the Degree of Fellow Craft on April 13, 2010, and raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason on May 22, 2010. He quickly became active in his Lodge and progressed through the chairs, serving as Master in 2014-2015. Subsequently, he served as Treasurer (2015-2017), Marshal (2022-2023), and as Trustee (2020-Present).

For a period of time, he affiliated with Stone Lodge No. 890 between 2013 and 2017. He affiliated with Marion Hale Lodge No. 672 in the Spring of 2022 and served as its Junior Deacon in 2023-2024. In July 2024, he affiliated with the mother lodge of his uncle, Brother Bobby Lee May, Sandy Valley Lodge No. 17, A.F. & A.M., working under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is also a Past Master of Ted Adams Lodge of Research and a member of Marlin White Lodge of Research.

Brother May has served on multiple committees of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, including the Committee on Masonry Matters (2016-2017), Chairman of the Committee on Veteran Affairs (2017-2018), the Committee on By-Laws (2019-2020), Chairman of the Committee on Biography (2020-2021) and the Ad-Hoc Committee on Redistricting (2021-2022). He served as District Deputy Grand Master – District 28 (2018-2019) and as Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky (2020-2021).

On Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at the 222nd Annual Communication held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, he was elected and installed as Grand Junior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky at age thirty-three, the youngest since Jack P. Hodges, nearly fifty years before him. He was elected and installed as Grand Senior Warden at the 223rd Annual Communication held at the Holiday Inn-University Plaza in Bowling Green in October 2022. At the 224th Annual Communication held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville in October 2023, he was elected and installed as Deputy Grand Master.

Brother May was elected and installed as the 215th Grand Master of Masons in Kentucky on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville. He was installed by Most Worshipful Cloyd J. Bumgardner, Past Grand Master, assisted by Most Worshipful E. Darren Wilson, Past Grand Master, Installing Grand Chaplain, Most Worshipful Timothy D. Sanders, Past Grand Master, Installing Grand Marshal, and Most Worshipful Geary F. Laird, Past Grand Master, who delivered the charges. The jewel with which he was invested once belonged to, and was previously worn by both Most Worshipful James W. Elam, Past Grand Master (1962-1963) and his mentor and good friend, Most Worshipful Gary C. Rose, Past Grand Master (2018-2019), both Eastern Kentucky natives.

As Grand Junior Warden, when Past Grand Master Gibson appointed an Ad-Hoc Committee on Redistricting, he led an effort to do so in a pragmatic and scientific manner, grouping lodges that were in close geographic proximity into the same districts and thereby making the travels of District Deputy Grand Masters more efficient. As Grand Senior Warden, he requested Past Grand Master Wilson to appoint a Committee on Historic Preservation, with the end goal being the digitization, updating, and editing of the original manuscript of the Saunders’ History of Lodges in Kentucky, as well as the collection, organization, and editing of a complete set of biographies of Past Grand Masters of Kentucky. Together, these two collections and other original research were published in 2025 as The Craft of the Commonwealth: 225 Years of Masonic Light.

As Grand Master, he sought to deliver monthly messages in The Masonic Home Journal which reflected upon the teachings of the Craft and meaningful moments in his life. He also ensured that the talents of Kentucky Masons were showcased each month in The Masonic Home Journal through the inclusion of scholarly articles and depictions of works of art created by Kentucky Masons. To enhance our members understanding regarding the principles and tenets of the Craft, as well as its history and governing documents, Brother May re-tooled the Committee on Masonic Scholars with the assistance of Brother Cameron C. Poe. Rather than solely administering a Book of Constitutions Quiz, the Masonic Scholars Academy was organized, with courses covering each of the three Degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry, the Book of Constitutions, and the history of our Grand Lodge. He also commemorated the 225th Anniversary of our Grand Jurisdiction by striking coins to mark the occasion, each individually numbered, including 25 coins made of one ounce of .999 silver plated in gold, 225 coins made of one ounce of .999 silver, and 225 coins made of bronze. As a member of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America, he served on the Committee on Time and Place and assisted in the selection of future hosts of the Conference.

In addition to his involvement in the symbolic Lodge, Brother May is an active member of the Valley of Covington, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, having been made a Master of the Royal Secret at the Spring Reunion of the Valley held at El Hasa Temple in Ashland on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Within Indra Consistory, he served as Captain of the Guard (2018 2019), Marshal of Ceremonies (2019-2021), Preceptor of Kadosh (2021-2024), and currently serves as Prior of Kadosh (since 2024), as well as Ambassador to our Lodge. On November 16, 2019, he was invested with the rank and decoration of Knight Commander of the Court of Honour at the Orient of Kentucky Honours.

Brother May crossed the “hot sands of the desert” and became a Noble of El Hasa Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. on Saturday, November 20, 2010. He was exalted to the august Degree of Royal Arch Mason in Pikeville Chapter No. 133, R.A.M; greeted a Selected Master in Pikeville Council No. 96, Royal and Select Masters; and dubbed and created a Knight of the Order of the Temple in Pikeville Commandery No. 45, Knights Templar, all in March 2011. Brother May is a member of Highland Council of Knight Masons No. 104 and Highland York Rite College No. 134. On January 15, 2025, Brother May was initiated into Breathitt Council No. 586, Allied Masonic Degrees in Jackson, Kentucky.

Additionally, he is a charter member of Jeanette DeVenny Chapter No. 584, Order of the Eastern Star, where he served as the first Worthy Patron (2016-2017, 2022-2023, 2024- 2025), and as Secretary (2019-2022, 2023-2024). He served as Deputy Grand Patron – District 5 (2017 2018, 2025-2026) and on the Grand Chapter Committee on Shrine Charities (2024-2027). He is also a Past President of the Appalachian Past Master’s Society (2017-2018) and a member of several other Past Master’s Societies.

As an elected Grand Lodge Officer, Brother May served on the Board of Directors of the Masonic Homes of Kentucky, Inc., as well as the following committees of the Board: Nominations (Chairman 2021-2022, Member 2023-2025); Governance (2021-2022); Finance (2022-2023); and the Executive Committee (2023-2025).

Brother May is an honorary member of Fortitude Lodge No. 47, Dycusburg Lodge No. 232, Zebulon Lodge No. 273, Folsomdale Lodge No. 283, O. D. Henderson Lodge No. 437, Al. E. Orton Lodge No. 628, Pinnacle Lodge No. 661, Wallins Creek Lodge No. 666, Howard Lodge No. 819, Hood Lodge No. 839, Jenkins Lodge No. 856, James W. Alley Lodge No. 869, Harlan Lodge No. 879, Lonesome Pine Lodge No. 884, R. H. Johnston Lodge No. 945, and Marlin White Lodge of Research. He is also a member of the Perfect Ashlar Society of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, and an honorary member of the Grand Lodge of Florida, the Past Grand Masters’ Society of Tennessee, and both Kosair and Rizpah Shrines. In the summer of 2024 he was bestowed the Honorary Legion of Honor by DeMolay International and in June 2025 he was awarded the Grand Cross of Color by the Grand Assembly of Kentucky, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. As with all elected Grand Lodge Officers, he was privileged to serve as a Director of the Kentucky DeMolay Foundation (2021-2025).

He serves as a Deacon at Shepard Memorial Presbyterian Church, as a member of both the Stewardship and Worship Committees, as well as the President of the Church corporation. Earlier in his life, he proudly served as a combat engineer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve with the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion.

Brother May proposed to Miss Ada Nykole Mapes at the Grand Master’s Banquet of Most Worshipful Brother Gary C. Rose, and she delighted him by accepting his offer to become his wife. Sister Ada N. May was initiated into Jeanette DeVenny Chapter No. 584 on August 07, 2019, and served her Chapter as Adah, Conductress, and Worthy Matron (2022-2023). She currently serves as Deputy Grand Matron – District 5 (2025- 2026), and formerly served as Grand Representative of the Grand Chapter of Italy in Kentucky. They were married at Peter Creek Presbyterian Church in Phelps, Kentucky, on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Together, they share two children, Joseph Robert Adrian May and Hazel Elizabeth Rose May. The May family resides in the Freeburn community in eastern Pike County, Kentucky.