May Louise Hinton-Wykle, (FAAN, FGSA) is an American nurse, gerontologist, educator, researcher, and the first African-American Marvin E. and Ruth Durr Denekas Endowed Chair at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing of Case Western Reserve University. Wykle also serves as a professor at Georgia Southwestern State University and teaches Geriatric Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Minority Student Recruitment and Retention. Early life and education May Louise Hinton-Wykle was born February 11, 1934, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, to John R. and Florence A. Randall. Wykle graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in rural Ohio. Originally, she wished to attend medical school but decided to switch career paths after working as a nurse's aide for one year at Martins Ferry Hospital. Her grandmother also served as her inspiration when she decided to pursue a career in health care. Her grandparents lived with her when she was young and she often helped her mother care for them. As her grandmother was also very involved and often participated in charity work, she was able to witness first hand how to care for older adults in her community. She earned her nursing diploma in 1956 at the Ruth Brant School of Nursing in Martins Ferry, Ohio. After graduating, Wykle went on to work as a staff nurse at the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute. There, she gained experience as a head nurse and later, a supervisor. In 1962, she pursued her bachelor's degree in nursing, then returned to the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute as an instructor and director of nursing education. In 1969, Wykle went back to Case Western Reserve University to earn her master's degree in psychiatric nursing and her PhD in nursing, where her teachers were so impressed with her, they asked her to join the faculty. She has been a faculty member there since. Personal life May Wykle married William L. Wykle, who passed away January 2, 2019. She currently has two grandchildren, named Alexis and Larry. Career Wykle is an expert in the field of aging. She has conducted research in the areas of mental health, physical health, and spirituality among older adults, self-care activities of caregivers and elders, including health promotion, care-giving across the life span, HIV-related care-giving, black-versus-white caregivers and minority elder health. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America, a former Director of a Robert Wood Johnson Teaching Nursing