"In cooperation with the armed forces of south Vietnam, attacks are being launched this week to clean out major enemy sanctuaries on the Cambodian-Vietnam border. "
- President Richard Milhouse Nixon
Introduction by Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, President
The tragic events that took place at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, left their mark on the history of our country and on the fabric of our University.
In 1971, the Center for Peaceful Change was established as a living memorial to May 4. Representing rebirth from the tragedy, the center addresses non-violent social change through teaching, research, and public service. The May 4 Resource Center, established in 1973 in the Library, serves as a reading room and a memorial to those killed. Housing materials documenting May 4, the center is open to students and to the public.
In 1977, the University began to focus on several ways to strengthen its official acknowledgement of the tragedy. Among them, May 4 is observed in Kent's official calendar as a Day of Remembrance, and classes recess from noon to 2 P.M. annually. The University's undergraduate and graduate catalogues contain an historical statement on the events of May 4.
A University-wide committee, established in 1984, recommended that a permanent memorial be built and indicated "the site should present the visitor with the opportunity to inquire into the many reasons and purposes of the events that led to the killing and wounding of students on May 4, 1970, and to encourage a learning process to broaden the perspective of these events."
In 1985, a national competition was initiated, and the design of Chicago architect Bruno Ast was chosen for the memorial. Mr. Ast said, "I see the memorial as a celebration of the continuity of our dreams and ideals and life, a place to be reflective of our mortality, yet to remind us of courage and strength rather than despair. It is my hope that this memorial will provide visitors an opportunity to rekindle memories of Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder and to reflect on the impact of these events beyond the Kent campus. We learn from the past with hope for the future."
The memorial was dedicated on May 4, 1990. Scholarships in the names of the four students were established at that time and are awarded within the University's Honors College.
We continue to come together each year on the anniversary of May 4 to contemplate these tragic events and to remind ourselves that as human beings, we are still struggling to find peaceful ways of resolving conflict. Our hope and our purpose is to invite visitors to the site and to the memorial where its inscription asks us to inquire into how such a tragedy could take place; to learn the vital lessons wrought from the violence on that spring day; and to reflect on ways to manage conflict among people, groups and nations.
Chronology | Aftermath | 1977 | Map | Memorial | National Guard Remembrance Awards | Kent State Book Reports Commemorative Poem by Susanne Sande
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