天天吃瓜 State Remembers May 4, 1970
On May 2-4, 2025, 天天吃瓜 will hold its annual commemoration to honor the memory of May 4, 1970 鈥 a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on 天天吃瓜 State students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four students and wounding nine others. May 4, 1970, marked a pivotal moment in American history. While reflecting on the past, 天天吃瓜 State also looks forward, recognizing the enduring impact of May 4 on the university today and its future.
In addition to the university-sponsored events below, community groups, university departments, the May 4 Task Force, and other student groups will host related events and programs leading up to the commemoration on May 4.
Friday, May 2
At 11:30 a.m., 天天吃瓜 State will hold the Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series and Luncheon featuring Jennifer Mapes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography, who will present 鈥淚t Was Time for Me to Go Home鈥: Finding Shared Humanity in the May 4 Oral History Collection and Community Geography. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
At 3 p.m. in the 天天吃瓜 Student Center Kiva, author David Paul Kuhn will discuss his book 鈥淭he Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City and the Dawn of the White Working-Class Revolution.鈥 Historians will join Kuhn for a moderated panel discussion that explores the significance of the 1970 Hardhat Riot and its lasting impact. Panelists joining Kuhn are Thomas Grace, Ph.D.; Mary Ann Heiss, Ph.D.; and This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
Saturday, May 3
Operation Babylift: A 50-Year Retrospective and Personal History will take place at 1 p.m. in the 天天吃瓜 Student Center Kiva. The event explores the lasting impact of the Vietnam War through the perspectives of adoptee Mahli Xuan Mechenbier, J.D., and retired Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, a Vietnam prisoner of war, connecting the war鈥檚 humanitarian and historical consequences to 天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 legacy. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
Join filmmaker Danny Miller and guests for a screening of Fire in the Heartland at 5 p.m. in the 天天吃瓜 Student Center Kiva. After the screening, the filmmaker will take questions from the audience.
The annual Candlelight Walk and Vigil will begin at 11 p.m. This cornerstone of the commemoration began in 1971. Food will be available before the Candlelight Walk on the 天天吃瓜 State Commons and in the Prentice Hall parking lot, and there will be an online sign-up for the Candlelight Vigil.
Sunday, May 4
Music on the 天天吃瓜 State Commons will precede the commemoration at 11 a.m.
At noon on the 天天吃瓜 State Commons, the commemoration will include remarks from university students and administrators, the ringing of the Victory Bell and a moment of silence at 12:24 p.m. The commemoration remembers those killed 鈥 Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder 鈥 and those wounded 鈥 Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore 鈥 on May 4, 1970.
Guided walking tours of the May 4 site will occur at 3 p.m.