Annual May 4 Commemoration records, 1971-2008

May 4 Collection -- Boxes 117 and 117A

Finding Aid

Prepared by Nancy Birk, October 20, 1995; Revised and updated by Rhonda Rinehart, April 2005; Updated by Lae'l Hughes-Watkins, June 2009.
1 record storage box + oversize posters, 1.5 cubic feet, 12th floor

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials gathered by the University Archives that document the annual commemorations, including performances and events. Some material originates from the May 4th Task Force. Posters and other promotional material from the annual commemorations are also included. Material in Box 117 is arranged chronologically. Posters are shelved in the 12th floor map case.

May 4 Collection -- Box 117

Folder -- Contents

1971

  1. Schedule of events and exhibits for first annual memorial observance, May 1-4, 1971
  2. Position and policies paper regarding first annual memorial observance, 1971
  3. Rough draft of speech by Julian Bond for first annual memorial observance, April 1971

1975

  1. Ecumenical Memorial Service, outline and summary of service

1979

  1. The Educational Consequences of the Tragedy, commemoration speech by Bruce Harkness, [former Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, final draft copy]

1980

  1. May 4 Scheduling Committee, Minutes, 1980

1989

  1. May 4th Memorial fact sheet, January 1989

1990

  1. News Release Statements, January 1990
  2. Inter-deptartmental Correspondence, Invitation to participate in 20th anniversary activities, March 19, 1990

1995

  1. Dance Alloy, May 4th Dance/Theatre Project, programs and announcements, April 29, 1995
  2. The Serpent, programs for dramatic ceremony by Jean-Claude van Itallie, April 1995
  3. Simple Gestures: A Commemorative Installation, promotional material, April 5-May 10, 1995
  4. Kent State University: May, 1970, invitation to showing of interactive multimedia CD-ROM, May 1, 1995
  5. The Legacy of May 4, 1970, announcement of television documentary showing, May 1, 1995
  6. Legacies of Protest, May 4 Symposium, May 2-3, 1995
  7. Kent State: A Requiem, announcements for performances, May 3, 1995
  8. Finding a Common Ground: The Blanketing of Blanket Hill, audience instructions for participation, May 4, 1995
  9. Peter, Paul and Mary, concert ticket stub, May 4, 1995
  10. Proposal for CASE submission, Milestone 25th Anniversary of the Events of May 4, 1970
  11. News Release Statements, April-May 1995
  12. A Different Reunion, speech by Lee Kamps, May 1995
  13. Kent State University Alumni Association, information card and staff memo about 25th Anniversary Commemoration, May 1995
  14. Nightwalking: Voices from Kent State by Sandra Perlman, program and company member list, May 1995
  15. Tragedy at Kent State, programs and clippings, May 1995
  16. Preserving the May 4th Site: A Position Paper by Carole Barbato, June 1995
  17. Sample Layout, May 4 Message and Information Board, [no date]
  18. 25th Anniversary Commemoration programs and schedule of events

1996

  1. 26th Annual Commemoration, schedules of activities and events, May 3-4, 1996
  2. Shakespeare After Words, commemoration performance announcement, April 24, 1996

1997

  1. Crosby, Stills and Nash, performance agreement for May 4, 1997

1998

  1. May 4th Task Force announcement concerning request for permanent closure of four parking spaces in Prentice Hall parking lot, May 3, 1998
  2. Unification of the Generations, commemoration program announcement, April 1998

1999

  1. May 4 Commemoration events announcement, April 1999
  2. Confrontation at Kent State, May 4th Task Force Annual Fall Forum announcement, November 18, 1999
  3. Student markers dedication, Prentice Hall parking lot, September 8, 1999

2000

  1. Print and Broadcast Journalism alumni reunion, [memory book, clippings, notebooks], May 3-5, 2000
  2. Hillel tag, "Flowers are better than bullets"
  3. Song in Sorrow, Blossom Music Festival performance schedules
  4. Press packet for 30th Commemoration, [2 packets]
  5. Kent State: The Day the War came Home, promotional packet for documentary aired on The Learning Channel, May 5, 2000
  6. May 4 Oral History Project, announcement of designated site for project contributions
  7. The Boundaries of Freedom of Expression and Order in a Democratic Society, first annual May 4 Symposium, registration posting and schedule, May 1-2, 2000

2001

  1. Remarks by Tom Grace at the Annual Commemoration, [Grace was wounded on May 4, 1970]
  2. Media, Profit and Politics: Competing Priorities in an Open Society, Information packets for Symposium on Democracy, April 11-12, 2001
  3. 31st Annual May 4th Commemoration, announcements for The Cost of Freedom candlelight vigil and commemoration, May 2-4, 2001
  4. Programs for Kent Wind Ensemble and Kent State University Chorale with Greg Banaszak, individual performances and excerpts from Opera Flies, March 22, 2001
  5. East 79th Street, announcements for play sponsored by the May 4 Task Force, May 2, 2001

2002

  1. News story about Annual Commemoration, May 5, 2002
  2. Memo from KSU president Carol Cartwright concerning May 4 observance safety, April 30, 2002
  3. Letter from Staughton Lynd concerning "From Port Huron to Kent State" conference, May 2, 2002
  4. Docent schedule from May 4 Resource Room, April 20-May 3, 2002
  5. Democracy and Religion, third annual Symposium on Democracy registration posting and schedule, April 20-30, 2002
  6. May 4th Task Force meetings announcement and guide to May 4 sites, [2002?]

2003

  1. PEACE 1970-2003: Remembering Kent State & Jackson State, Annual Commemoration schedule of events, May 3-4, 2003
  2. Democracy and Globalization, fourth annual Symposium on Democracy registration posting and schedule, April 28-29, 2003

2004

  1. Democracy and Homeland Security, fifth annual Symposium on Democracy, registration and news clippings, April 2004

2005

  1. Sixth annual Symposium on Democracy, call for scholarly paper proposals
  2. Democracy and the Arts: Voices and Choices, sixth annual Symposium on Democracy, schedule of events, clippings, May 2005
  3. 35th Annual Commemoration: "Tell Me Father, Did They Aim?", May 4th Task Force, Schedule of events, flyers, May 1-4, 2005

2006

  1. Irreconcilable Differences? Democratic Policy Deliberations in Science, Religion and Politics, seventh annual Symposium on Democracy, schedule of events, clippings, May 2006

2009

61. 10th Annual Symposium on Democarcy, Program Announcement, 2009

May 4 Collection -- Box 117A--Commemoration Posters 1978-[ongoing]

Shelved in the 12th floor map case Folder -- Contents
  1. 1977: Speakers include Dick Gregory, William Kunstler, Ron Kovic, Tim Butz and Dave Engdahl.
  2. 1978: Speakers include Daniel Ellsberg, William Kunstler, Vernon Bellecourt, Abdul Alkalimat and Constance Slaughter.
  3. 1979: Speakers include William Kunstler, Constance Slaughter, Robby Stamps, Sanford Rosen, Tom Grace and John Bassette. 2 copies, 1 donated by Herb and Charlotte Goldsmith.
  4. 1980: Speakers include Dave Dellinger, Daniel Ellsberg, Norma Becker, William Kunstler and Kwame Toure (Stokley Carmichael). 4 copies, 1 donated by Herb and Charlotte Goldsmith, 1 photocopy.
  5. 1980: Ten Years Later; National Student Day.
  6. 1980: Speakers include Bella Abzug, Norma Becker, David Dellinger, Rev. John Adams and Stokley Carmichael.
  7. 1981: Speakers include Rev. John Adams, Chic Canfora-Knapp, Dr. J. Gregory Payne, and Joseph Rhodes Jr. 3 copies.
  8. 1983: Speakers include Sanford Rosen, Dr. J. Gregory Payne, Dean Kahler, Robbie Stamps, Dudley Weeks and Milo Hunter.
  9. 1984: Speakers include Tom Grace, Jim Russell, Jane Fleiss, Dr. Tom Hensley, Rev. Bill Jacobs, Dave Boerner and Gerry Condon. 2 copies.
  10. 1986: Speakers include Sanford Rosen, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Chic Canfora-Knepp and Sheldon Liss. 5 copies.
  11. 1987: Speakers include Ian Taberner, Julian Bond, Scott Norberg, Alan Canfora and Tom Grace.
  12. 1988: Speakers include Louis Stokes, William Kunstler, Sanford Rosen, Alan Canfora, Tom Grace, Chic Knepp, Dr. J. Gregory Payne and Dr. Sheldon Liss. 2 copies.
  13. 1990: Speakers include Students wounded on May 4, Pat Humphries, Gene Young, Laurel Krause, Dave Kline Ken Hammond.
  14. 1991: Speakers include Roseanne Canfora-Knepp, Beth Ross, Dave Perusak and Dagmar Celeste.
  15. 1994: Speakers include Samantha Carver, William Kunstler, J. Gregory Payne, Gene Young and Jeffrey Powell.
  16. 1995: Speakers include Howard Metzenbaum, Paul Rogat Loeb, Mark Rudd, Stephanie Campbell, Barbara Agte and Steve Drucker.
  17. 1996: Speakers include Sherrod Brown, Bernadine Dohrn, Stanley Tolliver, Tom Grace and Perkins Pringle. 2 copies.
  18. 1998: Speakers include Gary Polvinale, Ron Conn, Ron Kovic, Ruth Gibson and Steve Skovensky. 3 copies.
  19. 1999: Speakers include Dr. Helen Caldicott, Ley Ly Hayslip, Dr. Molly Merryman and Dr. Barnes Harden.
  20. 2000: Speakers include Gene Young, Gloria Green McKray, Demitrius Gibbs, Juliette Beck and Julia Butterfly Hill.
  21. 2002: Speakers include Daniel Devore, Tom Callahan, Adria Crannell, Kelley Gorbett, Joseph Lewis, James Russell and Charlene Teters.
  22. 2003: Speakers include Phil Arway, Seth Kujat, Billie Campbell and Kerry Kennedy Cuomo.
  23. 2004: Patriots ACT! Speakers include William Rivers Pitt, Holly Near, Dean Kahler, Gary Daniels, Mike Pacifico, Sam Harper, Dr. Carole Barbato, T. N. Bhargava, and Alan Canfora.
  24. 2005: "Tell Me Father, Did They Aim?" Speakers include William Schultz (Amnesty International), Gene Young, Ken Hammond, Marc Lenci, and Chad Salamon.