May 4 Visitors Center

From April 22 to Aug. 1, Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center will honor Bill Schroeder’s life with an exhibition titled “Bill: An All-American Boy.” Mr. Schroeder’s sister, Nancy Tuttle, and nephew, David Tuttle, helped create the exhibition by loaning some of his personal items to the May 4 Visitors Center. 

Kent State University sophomore Phil Morgan said he learned about the May 4, 1970, shootings during a history lesson in middle school that included few details, except the fact that the Ohio National Guard’s presence at a student protest ended in the deaths of four students.

A portion of Kent State University’s Kent Campus has taken its place alongside the nation’s most significant historic locations, joining such sites as the Grand Canyon National Park, Pearl Harbor and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

Sandy Scheuer was on her way to class on May 4, 1970, when she was shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen responding to protests of the Vietnam War at Kent State University. She was a junior honors student, a speech therapy major and a proud member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. 

Kent State University holds its 47th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events taking place May 3 and 4. The annual commemoration, hosted by the May 4 Task Force, provides an opportunity for the university community to gather and remember those who were lost and injured during the tragedy and also reflect on what May 4 means today.