Dean Kahler was one of the nine students wounded on May 4, 1970, when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on the student protest rally.
Kahler, 19 at the time and a freshman, was attending his first protest rally when he felt a bullet pierce his spine. He knew almost instantly that he would never walk again. The bullet left him paralyzed from the waist down.
A lifetime member of the Church of the Brethren, Kahler is a pacifist and is against all war. One of the church’s main tenants is peace. Kahler attended the May 4 rally because, as a self-described “farm boy,” he had never seen a war protest and was curious about what would take place. He often has expressed that he was surprised that the rally was rather small and disorganized, and not much of a demonstration.
His recovery was not without its challenges. The first get-well card Kahler opened in the hospital actually turned out to be hate mail from someone telling him he wished he were dead. Despite such treatment and though confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, Kahler chose to remain upbeat and returned to campus in the fall of 1970, earning a bachelor’s degree in education in 1977.
He spent his life in public service, teaching school for 15 years, and also working for the Ohio Industrial Commission, the Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Secretary of State, as well as serving two terms as an elected Athens County Commissioner. He taught history and social studies and never shied from talking about the May 4 shootings in his classes.
Through the years since the shootings, Kahler has always maintained a positive attitude about his injuries, giving thanks that he survived and thrived. He gives credit to his faith, his family and his circle of friends for lifelong support after the shootings, and has expressed his gratefulness for a long career of fulfilling employment.
He has been a steady presence on campus and off when representing the victims of the Kent State shootings. Kahler regularly takes part in May 4 commemorations and often conducts media interviews about the shootings and their legacy.
After spending many years living in Southeast Ohio, Kahler returned to his hometown of East Canton in Stark County in 2009 to help care for his elderly father. That year, he also had both feet amputated due to vascular problems. Now 68, he is retired and living in Plain Township, near East Canton, and remains an active community volunteer.