Application for Faribault Hometown Heroes April 4, 2023
Submitted by Kathy Larson Faribault
A.A.U.W. Branch Membership V.P.

Our American Association of University Women (A.A.U.W. Faribault Branch) , established 98 yrs ago, is nominating May Bottke for a Faribault Hometown Hero.

May DeRuyter Bottke grew up on a farm near New Prinsburg, MN came to Faribault in the fall of 1946, when she got her first teaching job at Garfield Elementary School. She has lived in Faribault for almost 77 yrs & is 98yrs old. She earned her B.S. in Elementary Ed. & Child Welfare from the University of Minnesota in 1946.
May taught Kindergarten at Lincoln School 30 years and a total of 41 years in the Faribault School District (&Garfield & Jefferson.) In the early days of Kindergarten, May taught 2 different classes everyday AM & PM.
May touch many lives over all those years. Highlights of May’s Kindergarten Circus was an experience for the Kindergarten students that included music, art, & creative play. May has been a member of the Faribault Congregational Church for over 70 years. A Butterfly Garden on the South south of the church was
dedicated in her name in 2015 as an honored member.

Organizations May belong to are: A.A.U.W. Faribault Branch for 68 yrs.,the American Legion Auxiliary Unit #43- 60 yrs., Delta Kappa Gamma, Eastern Star, the Faribault Senior Center, River Bend Nature Center, the Rice County Historical Society, and the Faribault Area Retired Educators. She has also volunteered her time playing piano for Christian Women, Delta Kappa Gamma, Nursing Homes, Relay for Life and many other community events. In 2011, she was chosen to be The Grand Marshal for the Faribault Heritage Parade.

May married Bill Bottke, who grew up in Faribault, in 1951. They had three
children Mary, Gretchen and Bill. May has enriched the lives of many Faribault community members. Her passion for teaching, her life of service for many organizations and her “Love” of giving positive comments have touched many lives here – May’s Hometown of 77 yrs! May certainly deserves to be honored as a Faribault Hometown Hero.