In his book Kent State: Death and Dissent in the 1960s, Thomas M. Grace, one of the nine students wounded on May 4, 1970, writes that the tragic events of the day were not a tragic anomaly, but rooted in a strong tradition of activism.
Mr. Grace, a scholar and instructor of American history, was a sophomore history major at Kent State during the time of the event. The Syracuse native was shot in his left ankle and transported to the hospital in the ambulance with Sandy Scheuer, one of the four students who died on May 4, 1970.
Mr. Grace specializes in dissent and the protest movement in the 1960s and brings a unique perspective as a history scholar and student wounded at Kent State to contextualizing May 4 in its times.
He chose not to write a memoir about the event, but instead his book chronicles student political activism at Kent State, from World War II through May 4 and beyond.
He once said, “I simply, flat out, wouldn’t have written the memoir. I would have found it presumptuous and arrogant. I don’t have that big an ego, and I haven’t lived that interesting a life. As I always tell people, getting shot is not an accomplishment. Not getting shot is an accomplishment.”
Mr. Grace has been no stranger to Kent State, having returned more than 100 times through the years to May 4 events and as a lecturer on campus.
Mr. Grace is retired from a career in social work and as a union leader. He earned his PhD in history at the University of Buffalo in 2003, and lectures and teaches at colleges in Western New York.
Tom Grace - Photo Courtesy of Christian Bobak, Photographer