STUDENT MEMORIAL
THE FOUR STUDENTS KILLED
3
JEFF
MILLER
MARCH 28, 1950–
MAY 4, 1970
Jeff Miller was a psychology major, but his passions also led him to study the environment, criminal justice, and African American history. He was also passionately against the war, as his mom wrote, “I expected my son to be against the war.”
Jeff and his brother Russ were close, especially after their parents divorced. Jeff followed Russ to Michigan State and left for Kent State after Russ graduated. Even when they disagreed, they shared a love for music. Jeff, who was not tall, briefly ran his own radio show, “Short Mort,” at Michigan State University.
The War Without a Purpose
marches on relentlessly,
not stopping to mourn for
its dead,
content to wait for its end.
But all the frightened parents who still have their sons
fear that
the end is not in sight.
—Jeff
Jeff’s record with his handwritten playlist.
ALLISON
KRAUSE
APRIL 23, 1951 –
MAY 4, 1970
From the time she volunteered at a mental hospital in high school to the time she helped organize a campus-wide march against the Vietnam War as a freshman, it was clear that Allison Krause was an activist. Even though her family moved every few years for her father’s job, Allison found a home in Kent. She remembered fondly the times she traveled with her mom, dad, and sister to eat at the Robin Hood, the only “white cloth” restaurant in the area. While she knew she wanted to attend Kent State, she was worried about joining the Honors College.
As she wrote to a friend, “I’m extremely afraid that I’ll be classified as a ‘brain’, ‘egghead’, no fun, studious girl. I’m lucky enough to get good grades, but believe me that isn’t my only concern. I want to have a good time at school too.”
Alienation is common among all people. Many problems develop when communication between people is difficult or non-existent. It is the root of all violent outbreaks, war and all general disharmony. We live in a world with many fellow human beings and to realize that each person is not entirely alone will make alienation an obsolete human characteristic.
—Allison
Allison leading Kent State’s Moratorium March, October 15, 1969.
Letter from Allison to John Nagy, 1969.
BILL
SCHROEDER
JULY 20, 1950–
MAY 4, 1970
KILLED WHILE WALKING TO CLASS
William Schroeder was an All-American boy—athletic, loyal, and extremely patriotic. He was the captain of his high school basketball team, a member of the marching band, Lorain’s youngest Eagle Scout, and in 1968 he left for the Colorado School of Mines on a full Reserved Officer Training Corp (ROTC) scholarship.
In the fall of 1969, he transferred to Kent State and changed his major to psychology. As his mother wrote, “he decided that the presence of a trained psychologist on the military front could be as important as a soldier’s rifle or a chaplain.”
Learning from the past
Is of prime consideration.
Your many influences shall
linger and last,
To be passed on through me to
the next generation.
—Bill
Image of Bill taken by his friend at the Akron Reservoir, 1969.
Image of Bill during his time in the ROTC.
SANDY
SCHEUER
AUGUST 11, 1949 –
MAY 4, 1970
KILLED WHILE WALKING TO CLASS
In an era before social media, Sandy Scheuer chronicled her life in the pages of her scrapbooks. Her candid photographs, personal letters, and lovingly selected mementos paint a story full of friendship, family, and adventure.
Bruce Burkland, her high school boyfriend, wrote, “To begin to describe what a beautiful person Sandy was would take forever, but there is one thing that I want people to know about her, which is that she was not a reactionary student and was not involved in the demonstrations at Kent State. Sandy was not the type to cause or incite such events, but rather she always spread joy, happiness, and laughter in people’s hearts wherever she went. She was the ultimate in life, especially of my life.”
Who is to Say?
—Sandy Scheuer & Jeff Miller
Portrait taken by Dr. W. Gordon
Who is to Say?, drawn by Sandy Scheuer and Jeff Miller, both of whom perished on May 4, 1970.
