May 4th Memorial — Attraction in Kent

This memorial plaque stands amongst a series of captions in the area detailing the events leading up to and on May 4, 1970. Immortalized in the Neil Young song, "Four dead in Ohio."

This is marker number 8-67 and it was erected in 2006 by Kent State University and The Ohio Historical Society. Parking is a challenge. I stayed briefly when there were no classes going on so I did not have any trouble.

On the front, it reads, "In 1968, Richard Nixon won the presidency partly based on a campaign promise to end the Vietnam War. Though the war seemed to be winding down, on April 30, 1970, Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia, triggering protests across college campuses. On Friday, May 1, an anti-war rally was held on the Commons at Kent State University. Protestors called for another rally to be held Monday, May 4. Disturbances in downtown Kent that night caused city officials to ask Governor James Rhodes to send the Ohio National Guard to maintain order. Troops put on alert Saturday afternoon were called to campus Saturday evening after an ROTC building was set on fire. Sunday morning in a press conference that was also broadcast to the troops on campus, Rhodes vowed to "eradicate the problem" of protests at Kent State."

And on the reverse, "On Sunday May 4, 1970, Kent State students protested on the Commons regarding the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the presence of the National Guard to campus to quell demonstrations. Guard troops advanced, driving students past Taylor Hall. A small group of protestors taunted the Guard from the Prentice Hall parking lot. The National Guard marched back to the Pagoda where members of Company A, 145th Infantry, and Troop G, 107th Armored Cavalry, turned and fired 61-67 shots during the thirteen seconds. Four students were killed, Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. Nine students were wounded -Alan Canfora, John Clearly, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, D. Scott MacKenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps, and Douglas Wrentmore. Those shot were 20 to 245 yards away from the Guard. The Report of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest concluded that the shootings were "unnecessary, unwarranted, and...

I remember the day quite well. I was in the 6th grade at Preston Elementary School in CFO and working as a 'patrol boy' at the school crossing on Tallmadge Av. Car after car came blowing through the school zone at high rates of speed and they were full of hippies headed to the Kent State riot. They were yelling and hanging out the car windows like they were headed to a big party. I guess in their warped minds rioting was a party. I guess throwing rocks and bottles at the National Guard was fun for them and setting fires at the school was fair game. Many were not even students, just Marxist anarchists. I see some things never change. However, rioting and burning is all fun and games until...

A well laid-out memorial on the grounds of Kent State University explaining the tragedy of May 4, 1970 when 4 students were killed by the National Guard while protesting the expansion of the Vietnam War. Markers are numbered, making it easy to follow the events. Unfortunately, the May 4th Museum (in Taylor Hall) was not open. If you stop by be sure to see Donald Drum's Solar Totem (on the opposite side of Taylor Hall). A very sad day in our...