Welcome to the May 4 Archive of J. Gregory Payne, Ph.D
In
the Wake of Virginia Tech
Although the shootings at Kent State and Jackson State occurred 37 years ago,
the tragedy at Virginia Tech on April 16 reminds us again of the horror of
experiencing such violence on U.S. College campuses. Since the senseless massacre
at Virginia Tech, this website has experienced an increased interest as people
attempt to find historical touchstones in the attempt to understand such tragedies.
The Pittsburgh Gazette editorial page recognized the similarities in the horror
felt in 1970 with that of 2007 with the stunning editorial of John Filo's
1970 Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Mary Vechio over the body of Jeff Miller
- with one addition of dramatic license: "Virginia Tech" was emblazoned
on Vechio's t-shirt.
I have added
a section on the Virginia Tech tragedy to the May 4 Archive website so that
present and future readers can study the clear differences and similarities
between the two incidents. The aftermath of the killings at Kent State presented
a difficult time for the university as it attempted to move forward. This
included the feeble public relations attempt of changing the name of the University
to Kent - as if this would help people forget what will be forever etched
in our minds of what happened on May 4, 1970 at Kent State. It also witnessed
a figurative and literal attempt of covering up the facts by Governor Rhodes
with an ill planned gym constructed on the site of the practice football field
where the guard regrouped just moments before the shootings.
It is clear from a cursory look at the events leading up to and following
the shootings at both VA Tech and Kent and Jackson State that there were major
communication breakdowns and leadership issues among the various constituencies
both prior to and in the aftermath of the shootings. This once again underscores
the importance of communication and the necessity for all organizations and
individuals to be involved in strategic risk and crisis communication efforts
in the effort to effectively take control of these major societal disruptions
when they do occur. A related belief in public diplomacy and the power of
the individual to make a difference in the aftermath of crises, in this instance,
9/11, can be found at www.saudiamericanexchange.org
The objective of the this website is to be a source of historical and cultural
knowledge of the shootings at Kent State. It is my hope that in the wake of
Kent State, Jackson State, Columbine and now VA. Tech, all will reflect on
the sanguine message of Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it."
Regards,
Gregory Payne, Ph. D
Boston, April 2007
Developing News: 37th Anniversary of Kent State Shootings Brings Several
New Revelations
| Ohio
Governor Rhodes and His Relationship with the FBI Scoop Independent News (Friday, May 4, 2007) Ten days after Governor James A. Rhodes assumed office on January 14, 1963, a Cincinnati FBI agent wrote Director J. Edgar Hoover a memo stating: "At this moment he [Rhodes] is busier than a one-armed paper hanger .... Consequently, I do not plan to establish contact with him for a few months." |
Military
order "Fire!" 1970 Kent State audio tape released Now Public (Tuesday, May 1, 2007) Alan Canfora recently released two versions of a 20-second clip — the original and an amplified version — in which he says a Guard officer issues the command, "Right here! Get Set! Point! Fire!" |
Recent News Stories: Kent State & Virigina Tech
| Kent
community can sympathize with Virginia Tech's pain Dayton Daily News (Sun, Apr 22, 2007) As Virginia Tech begins the process of healing and moving forward, another university community prepares to commemorate the 37th anniversary of another national tragedy that rocked the world: The May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard shootings at Kent State University, in which four students were killed and nine others wounded. |
Kent
State offers support to Tech Richmond Times-Dispatch (Sun, Apr 22, 2007) Kent State University President Lester Lefton has expressed solidarity with Virginia Tech, saying the Ohio school is an example of how an institution can rebound from tragedy. |
| Stigma,
sad milestones will likely haunt campus Dayton Daily News (Sun, Apr 22, 2007) On May 4, 1970, destiny arrived, uninvited, to northeast Ohio's Kent State University. |
A
list of deadly campus shootings Helena Independent Record (Sun, Apr 22, 2007) Fatal shootings at U.S. colleges or universities in recent years. |
"Campus
Violence: The Virginia Tech Tragedy"
Jerome Lewis
is Broadcast Journalism student at Emerson College in Boston MA. He is actively
involved in motion graphics and video production and has several credits to
hid name including special features in Hurricane Katrina,saudi American Exchange
and his latest work on the Virginia Tech tragedy. He is currently working
on a major feature on the Kent State University shootings in 1970 with Dr.
Payne of Emerson College.He is also a voiceover artist for several radio stations
including i95.5fm radio in Trinidad and Tobago. Click
here to view the video online
About the May 4 Archive
Within this site, you will find historical research related to the shootings at Kent State in May 1970, which killed 4 students and injured 9 others. The site includes the book MAYDAY: Kent State which offers the most comprehensive personal accounts of the victims at Kent State with insights from family, friends and personal writings. In addition, MAYDAY includes a historical synopsis of the events preceding and following the 13 seconds of gunfire with an annotated bibliography and important links to primary documents such as the Portage County Grand Jury report, the Justice Department's summary of the FBI report, the President's Commission on Campus Unrest, the Akron-Beacon Journal special report among others.
Also, included is a panel discussion and the author's account of issues of dramatic license vs. historical accuracy in the making of NBC's Emmy award winning docudrama Kent State, with insights that apply to any historical recreation and the ethical issues facing the viewer. The site also includes historic first hand accounts of the meeting between John Filo, Pulitzer prize winning photographer and journalism student at Kent State, and Mary Vecchio, the young woman pictured over the body of Jeff Miller after the shootings. This meeting occurred at the Kent State - Jackson State 30 year Retrospective held in Boston in 1995, the proceedings of which include personal accounts from those shot, students present, law enforcement officials, historians, artists and others.
The site also includes important primary research on other commemorations and memorials related to the event and its aftermath. It includes pictures, video, links and soundbytes from productions including VH1's behind the music (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Ohio"), the author's play Kent State: A Requiem, performed at over 100 colleges in the United States and Britain, news clips on related Kent State topics, as well as personal papers and correspondence related to 33 years of ongoing research on an event occurring in an era labeled by the President's Commission as, "the most divisive time in American history since the Civil War."
It is in remembering the events of May 4, 1970 and the communication failure prevalent throughout all aspects of American society, from the President to each member of the public and to the lives of Jeff, Bill, Sandy, and Allison, that this website and research are dedicated. as Santayana said, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
To a generation unfamiliar with the facts of Kent State, an excerpt from Kent State: A Requiem: "Kent State is not about the past - it's your tomorrow."
 Allison B. Krause |
|
 Jeffrey G. Miller |
 Sandra L. Scheuer |
