Kent State was the scene of deadly gunfire on May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War, an encounter that helped galvanize opposition to the war.
The site of the shootings, which also left nine students wounded and occurred near the university's Taylor Hall, already features a memorial, a walking tour and markers where the four died.
The new 1,900-square-foot May 4 Visitors Center officially opens Saturday on the ground floor of the former student newspaper office in Taylor Hall. It was funded by $1.1 million in donations from veterans groups, the public, the university and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Visitors will be able to "better understand the events of that day set against the political and cultural changes of the times," university President Lester Lefton said in a statement.
Dean Kahler, paralyzed from the waist down by a guardsman's bullet that day, said he remembers a time when he didn't feel welcome on campus and officials didn't to want to talk about what happened.
One photo in the new center shows Kahler on the ground just seconds after the shooting.
"I didn't want to get too close," he told the Akron Beacon Journal. "Those people had rifles."
The center includes three galleries that cover the social movements of the 1960s, the Vietnam War and the shootings and their aftermath. It also includes a map showing the 132 college campuses where protests occurred between April 30 and May 4 after President Richard Nixon announced an escalation of the war. A timeline and a short film help recreate the May 4 events.
Jerry Lewis, a sociology professor who witnessed the shootings and has researched and lectured about May 4, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that the center is opening at the right time.
"It took time to reflect on it and deal with it," Lewis, 76, said.
He said students moving through the center are often laughing at first, but their mood changes as they move into the room about May 4.
"Then they get very, very quiet," he said.
Carole Barbato, a communications studies professor at Kent State's East Liverpool campus, was a student on campus in 1970 and co-teaches the university's May 4 course.
Students in that course often ask why students didn't leave when they were told to go that day, Barbato told the Cleveland newspaper.
"You have to understand the social movement at the time when you believed you could change the world," Barbato said.
Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y... Four dead in Ohio. For What?
Never forget.
Still trying to understand this day. There is no answer.
I was 12 at the time. I will never forget. Every time I saw President Nixon after that, I had bad feelings in my heart. He was the ultimate chief of thieves, liars and the epitome of when I personally think, "politician". When we attack our own, stuff ain't gonna go well. Just sayin'.
Then when he used to wave the two finger "peace" sign when walking off of Air Force One. Freakin' hypocrite. He got off in his life on this planet. I also will never forget his speech when he resigned. Nor will I forget when Ford let him slide. I have held disdain for the GOP ever since all that BS happened.
I was 8 yrs. old when I started watching the news. Why? Because I was the remote control for my parents in 1966. I watched the Vietnam war every night on TV and asked my parents why I would have to go do that. They told me it was because the gov't said so and it's your duty. Yeah, that worked out well.I was one happy teenager when they stopped the draft and ended the war.
I was a student there at that time. I was not among the protestors, but I was watching from what I thought was a safe distance. A bullet came through a window and embedded in a wall two windows down from my dorm room window.
Try to imagine what it would be like to watch a group of soldiers start shooting into a crowd of unarmed people.
Some of my friends were drafted and died in Vietnam. One of my former roommates died at Kent State.
I had voted for Nixon. That was the last time I voted for a Republican for president. I don't trust them.
Can't imagine that at all, reese. I just started college a year ago and if I had to witness any students getting shot buy a gov't sanctioned effort, I'd more than likely be dead as well. That would not set well with me. I'm sorry you had to witness such. (yes college at 53..never too late)
Thanks luv.
The one good thing that came out of this was that law enforcement changed their strategies for dealing with public demonstrations and protesters. They don't shoot people anymore for it in this country.
Good luck with college! I went back to college at 52 to get my Master's. It was worth it. It is totally different to attend college when you are in your 50's, than it was to attend as a young adult. I admire you for doing this!
big woop
Great input, clubfrog. Stop back later when you have something more substantial to add.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3... The Vietnam War was all based on lies as were other wars. Nixon expanded the war in Vietnam. McNamera lied.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I...
Hundreds of photographs and related information can be found here. There are many links to connect to the photographs and information. (The SPAM filter would not allow me to post the website)
Don't ever forget history. The war in Iraq was based on lies. Now I am hearing that there may be a possible war with Iran. Vietnam, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan did not attack the United States. Why should the US go on the offense and invade countries that did us no harm? Maybe the Department Of Defense should be called the Department Of Offense?
http://tinyurl.com/9qj3yz9
43th Anniversary count down to May 4th 2013 12:24pm
194 days 21 hours 2 minutes 14 seconds
1970 Kent State Photos 1970 Best Photo Links
http://tinyurl.com/95p39jf Sitemap with many links.
Your link happy posts mean about as much clubfrog's non post, Centauri. Give it up. Not all of us are researching for our latest thesis.
I actually appreciate the links...very informative...lots of interesting information!
Thanks!
I take back my words, Centauri. When I heard the recording of "Right here. Get set. Point. Fire.", I got bent. Thank you for showing me something I never knew about.
Seems to me that with modern forensics that they could find out who gave that command. "Someone" was in charge of that unit. Bettin' he is in witness protection, too.
There is a youtube of some guy peeing on Nixon's grave. Quite funny. LOL
I found a photo that was taken a few seconds before the shots were fired. The Plain Dealer posted the photo in their news story that the Justice Department refuses to reopen the case based on new evidence. Please notice the NG officer pointing his .45 moments before the shots were fired in the picture.
http://www.cleveland.com/science...
What gets me is the comment made by Canfora "It's absurd for anyone to expect the Justice Department to thoroughly investigate itself, including its FBI division," Canfora said. "I don't think they're fair, I don't think they're objective, and the only way they can alleviate this controversy about their own failed investigation is to go to some outside, independent experts." CYA perhaps?
Read the entire news article. The FBI destroys the original recording. Some Guardsmen reported they had heard an order to fire, officers on the scene denied giving such a command. So are these guardsmen who heard the command to fire all liars? I am tired of all of the lies that our government tells us and the cover ups all through the years.
The government did not expose Nixon and Watergate. The government tried to cover up Watergate. It was the actions of two newspaper reporters and Deep Throat who has been identified years later as Mark Felt, the number 2 man in the FBI.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/po...
Like.