NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Five years after her death, there's still good work being done in the name of a friend of ours here at NewsChannel 5. May Dean Eberling was committed to helping her city in life. Today, her legacy's in good hands.
"What do you think she'd think of us sitting here talking about her today?" I asked former NewsChannel 5 legal analyst, Nick Bailey.
"Oh, she'd be very embarrassed," he said. "She was very behind-the-scenes. She didn't care about credit. She didn't want credit."
It was when Bailey was at NewsChannel 5 that he met an important name in Nashville's story, May Dean Eberling.
Starting in 1982, May Dean become community services director for the station. She ended up staying at NewsChannel 5 for nearly 25 years.
Even before she arrived to the station, May Dean was accomplishing things still key to the downtown of today. She was the first executive director of the Metro Historical Commission.
"She was very instrumental in saving a lot of Nashville landmarks," Bailey said. "She worked very closely with Mayor Richard Fulton to save Union Station, the Ryman Auditorium, the Hermitage Hotel, the U.S. Customs House."
"We said, 'those are good buildings! Those could be saved! Look at lower Broad now," May Dean said in an archive interview.
May Dean died five years ago after living with cancer.
We wanted to let you know what her Eberling Charitable Foundation is doing today.
"Just in the past five years alone, over $400,000 has been given to non-profits from her foundation," Bailey said.
Bailey is now the trustee of the foundation, as money goes toward the Nashville Humane Association, Greenways for Nashville, and the MTSU Scholarship Foundation.
"Each year, there are seven students chosen to receive the May Dean Eberling scholarships," Bailey said.
"The Eberling Charitable Foundation has worked with Second Harvest since about 2020," said Pearce Barringer of Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
A partnership between Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, the Eberling Charitable Foundation and NewsChannel 5 has led to the Hunger Free Summer program.
"Over the course of the summer months, students who are facing food insecurities can come to places like our summer feeding sites," Barringer said.
"She used to say all the time, you can accomplish a lot if you don't get credit for it," Bailey said.
May Dean didn't seek credit, but Bailey told us there's a reason her story is an important one to share.
"I hope it catches the attention of other people in the community who might want to do the same thing," he said.
Amidst their own grief and facing hatred these gentlemen worked to save lives. Forrest Sanders brings us a history lesson that's ripple effects are still evident across Nashville.
-Carrie Sharp
