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Come what may
Mace May has had to deal with the death of his father and his best friend, but it's only made him stronger
By Candice Rukes, Jayplay contributor
Mace Davison May is not your ordinary 21 year-old college student. Named after his grandfather, Mace is as unique as his name. Growing up in Olathe, May never knew what his life would entail when he moved to Spring Hill his sophomore year in high school.
His mother had envisioned a farm.
house to board her horses and so May moved with his mother, father and sister to Spring Hill. Struggling financially and emotionally, May's parents decided to separate. May coped but says he found it difficult. During the separation, May's father was at the farmhouse standing in the kitchen on the fourth of July in 2004, and unexpectedly died of a heart attack. May was
very close to his father and found his father's death devastating. But he knew he had to be strong for his mother and his sister. That Christmas Eve, May's
"Life is too short, you never really know what is going to happen, there is so much I have to do before I'm gone," says May. These devastating events, among many others, opened May's eyes to pursue his dreams. From that day on,
Jayplay 12.01.05
best friend died. He remembers it as a wake up call.
"Life is too short you never really know what is going to happen there is so much I have to do before I'm gone." — Mace May
May had always had dreams of driving sprint race cars and playing in a successful band, but thought that without the money, these opportunities were out of reach. But those thoughts left him after the deaths of his father and best friend. Pursuing his dreams, May drives
his life would be busier than he could ever have imagined.
race cars twice a week during the summer and works on them throughout the off season. He even has a partner in a motor building industry, Maycon Industries. He takes racing very seriously and even has to maintain a certain weight
for his weight class in racing. May says has seen people hurt and even killed on the track, but knows it is his passion and that he does it despite the risks. "I love the adrenaline rush. It's all about instinct, you don't even have time to process what is happening," May says.
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On top of his busy schedule with his business and racing, May plays in the band Censura. Censura has four members: Joe Vinduska (guitar), Chris Wood (bass), Joey Kirk (lead singer) and May (drummer). According to his band members, May has grown by leaps and bounds as a player using his digital effects pad and playing keyboards and drums simultaneously. They have traveled as far as Chicago, performing for small and large audiences. The band practices three times a week in the basement of May's townhouse. Although the current band members have only been together seven months, they consider each other family.
Vinduska, band member, co-worker and May's friend says May is determined, eager and energetic. "He's not scared of anything, as much as I give him hell. I need him in my life," says Vinduska.
When May is not racing or performing with Censura he is working full-time for United Van Lines moving company in Olathe, studying to keep up with his full-time student status, training his dog Wagner whom he adopted from an abused animal shelter and driving home to Spring Hill to help his mother and 13 year-old sister. May is a hard worker and busy most of the time, but when he has a free minute he says he devotes it to his family.
In five years, May dreams of touring nationally with Censura. "It's my dream, but in reality I have no idea," he says. "I will work as hard as I have to, to make it big in whatever I do."
Abby Babst, Wichita freshman and another of May's friends, says that he talks about his family a lot. "May's life has been pretty tough the past few years, his family means a lot to him."
May's band, Censura, will be performing at the Granada on Friday. December 9th.
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