[no date]
I was an 11 year old resident of Kent, Ohio at the time of the shootings on May 4, 1970. We lived on E. Elm St. and I remember riding my bike to the corner of Water Street and watching as National Guard tanks, trucks, and jeeps drove by. It was an eery feeling. Students were protesting the Vietnam War, but it seemed like the war had come into our town.
On May 4th I was in music class with the other 5th grade students at Holden Elementary School. Our music teacher was interrupted by our teacher suddenly, and we were sent back to our classes. We were told that something terrible had happened at the university and we were sent home. I hurried home, a few blocks away, but the doors were locked and no-one was home. So, I went to a neighbor's house and watched the news on t.v. which was describing shootings that had just occurred at KSU. It was very frightening to watch because my Dad taught at the university and I did not know where he was or if he was ok. My mother, a homemaker, was not home either. I later learned that she had taken a girl scout troop on a field trip that day and had great difficulty returning home because most of the roads were blocked by the National Guard.
The administration closed the university and my Dad had to make special arrangements with his graduating seniors so they could earn their credit to graduate. This event split the town in two; those who believed that the students were at fault and those who blamed the university and Governor Rhodes administration. I remember classmates telling me that the students deserved to die. These were young kids protesting the war and they deserved to die because of their beliefs?
Unfortunately, May 4th put Kent on the map in a negative way. It was a nice college town to grow up in, but people did not view it that way after the tragedy. There were many times I told people I lived in a suburb of Akron because I got tired of the ignorant comments people made when I told them I lived in Kent. It was a long time before sirens and helicopters did not frighten me. It was a very strange time; we were under martial law and were not allowed out at night or we could get arrested. I remember returning to school and observing my teacher wearing a black armband in silent protest of the students deaths.
If the university administration had accepted their part of the responsibility for what happened I believe it never would have escalated to such a big controversy for so many years. May 4th 1970 is a tragic event that we must not forget. I hope we can heal and learn from it.