By Greg Jonsson, as published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch .

It might make a better story if Jim May were a natural swimmer.

The truth is, May was out of his depth when he decided to take a lifeguard training course in the military. When the instructor ordered everyone in for a 10-length warm-up the first day, only the size of the class prevented humiliation for May.

"I did maybe two lengths and everyone got out, and they didn't notice I was a terrible swimmer," May said. "We had people who were Olympic-type swimmers. It was embarrassing for me to be in there with them."

But May stuck with it and eventually graduated second in the class. It was 1953 and the beginning in earnest of May's long relationship with the water. For the last 50 years, May, 73, has shared his love and knowledge of the water through the American Red Cross, teaching swimming basics, water safety and lifeguard classes.

For much of that time he's worked with the Boy Scouts of America. He figures he's taught water safety to some 17,000 Boy Scouts.

"You see people get better at swimming, and it allows them to have a fuller life," he said.

It wasn't long after completing his lifeguard training in the Army that his skills were tested. Assigned as a lifeguard at an Army pool in Texas, May revived several soldiers who got in trouble in the water.

"It wasn't on the battlefield," May said. "There's no medals or awards or anything, it was just my job."

After the Army and college at the University of Missouri, where he volunteered to teach water safety, May came to the St. Louis area to work as an accountant. He was recruited by a client to help teach Boy Scouts seeking lifesaving and swimming merit badges in St. Louis. He said he soon discovered that most of the Scouts needed more basic training in water safety.

"A lot of them were terrible," May said. "So we started with the little guys. We had these little guys who were starting their Cub Scout careers that couldn't even touch bottom."

He and the staff of instructors he oversees - with almost 400 years of combined teaching experience - teach learn-to-swim, lifeguard and merit badge classes a dozen Saturdays each year in Florissant. May also continues his work as an accountant.

Ex-Student is His Boss:

Joyce Bathke is one of May's former students. A self-taught swimmer, she took a lifesaving class in the early 1980s with her son, then a Scout.

"It was only five bucks and I loved to swim, so I thought, 'Why not?'" Bathke said.

Like quite a few of May's students, Bathke was then recruited to teach classes. Soon she was volunteering more, and then she was hired by the Red Cross, where she now serves as director of health and safety. She's in charge of all of the Red Cross' swimming classes, as well as other health programs. She also travels the country and sometimes overseas to train other instructors on new lifesaving curriculum and conducts undercover inspections of water parks.

"She was a student, and now she's the superintendent," May said.

"He sucks you right in," Bathke joked back.

May said some of his students have saved lives. But he gets the most satisfaction from knowing that thousands of people have learned skills that may prevent them from ever needing to be saved.

"It's a lot of fun to see a kid who's afraid to put his face in the water diving off the diving board after five weeks," he said.