Kent State Shootings, Part 6

The correspondence between "TG" and President Schwartz ends with this post.

April 24, 1990

Dear Dr. Schwartz:

Thank you for your recent letter of April 13, that came in response to my concerns. I appreciate the time you took to write a personal reply.

The plan to announce four scholarships (which I understand has been in existance since 1978) this upcoming May 4 in the names of Allison, Jeffery, Sandra and William comes as welcome news as does your intention to have their names read at the beginning of the memorial dedication. These are positive steps.

I remain perturbed, however, by the seeming lack of commitment to having the names of those slain on May 4 engraved on the memorial. Your statement that "the designer has chosen not to do that, and I have spoken to him about that on several occasions" leaves it unclear as to whether the decision to include the names rests with your office or with the architect. Since the University already had one designer replaced and the current architect reduce the scale and type of memorial from a cost of $1,300.00 to one costing $100,000, I must conclude that your office has some authority in this matter. After all the designer is working at the pleasure of the University, not the other way around.

Moreover, the scholarship plans need not and indeed are not in conflict with the compelling need to have Allison, Jeffery, Sandra and William's names on the memorial. Both should be done, for in that way we can have a living memorial to aid current students and a visual and substantive memorial, that is accessible to all.

Likewise, I must respectfully state me dissatisfaction with the plans to simply inscribe the words "Inquire", "Reflect" and "Learn" on the memorial structure. Such an inscription does not educate the unknowing and will only help ensure that coming generations will not "Learn" what happened at Kent State.

There exists not a monument in this country of which I am aware, that fails to include either the names of those being memorialized and/or an educational plaque that informs the visitor of the purpose of the commemorative structure. As recently as two days ago a monument was dedicated in my hometown that bears the names of over 30 Syracuse University students who lost their lives in the air disaster over Scotland. What is more, scarcely a visitor leaves the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington unmoved by the visual impression left by 58,000 individual names engraved in polished black granite. "The power is in the names," more than one has said. No visitor to that memorial ever truely leaves "the words behind."

These proposals I and others have made would not cost the University either financially or politically, but it would mean a great deal to the families as well as effected alumni like myself, Jim Russell, Joe Lewis, John Cleary, Alan Canfora, Doug Wrentmore and perhaps others. Such a small gesture by your office would mean a great deal and would make possible my participation in a ceremony that should be a time of some healing for those of us who were most wronged.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

"TG"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 30, 1990

Dear Mr. "G":

After a very long conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Martin Scheuer on Wednesday of last week, a granite plaque with the names of those killed and wounded on

May 4, 1970 was installed on the memorial site, a few feet from the memorial itself. Mr. and Mrs. Scheuer helped me to choose the exact site. It will be virtually impossible to visit the memorial without seeing the granite plaque. It is of the same granite as the memorial. The plaque was installed on Thursday, within twenty four hours of my conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Scheuer. Friday's Plain Dealer carried a picture of it on the front page.

To be clear on another point, while Bruno Ast, the architect "works for" the university on this project, I have not, nor has any other office of the university or member of the Board of trustees ever asked for design modifications. It is true that we asked for a new design after it was concluded that we could not pay for an earlier design. (The design which has been completed cost $200,000. It has been paid.) The designer's wishes about the names on the memorial itself are his and have been his since he was declared the winner of the competition. It is true that I have agreed with him. It is not true that I insisted on his position. The plaque that has been installed was essentially my idea. Mr. Ast has no objection to it.

I hope that this letter is a satisfactory reply to your concerns, and I would like to have the opportunity to meet you at the memorial dedication.

Sincerely,

Michael Schwartz