43rd Commemoration of May 4, 1970
Film director and producer Oliver Stone, and PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill joined Kent State University to mark its 43rd annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with the dedication of the May 4 Visitors Center. The center, which tells the May 4 story, set against the political and cultural changes of the 1960s, was dedicated Saturday, May 4, with other traditional commemorative events held Friday, May 3.
Ifill, moderator and managing editor of PBS’ Washington Week and co-anchor of PBS NewsHour, moderated a panel discussion titled “Historical Significance of May 4 and the Visitors Center” in University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Ifill has received more than 20 honorary doctorates and is the recipient of several broadcasting excellence awards.
Stone shared his thoughts on “History and Memory in Film,” drawing on his films that depict ’60s-era events. Stone, an Oscar-winning director, producer and screen writer of numerous movies and documentaries, served in the U.S. Army Infantry in Vietnam from 1967-68, and received a Bronze Star for Valor.