It is May 3, 1999, almost 11 p.m. Those who have come to remember gather at the Victory Bell. A somber tone hangs in the air as they prepare their candles. In silence, they form lines and rows, ready to make the march around campus. The silence continues as they walk. As they walk up Main Street, cars drive by. People stare out the windows. But they continue to walk in silence, past the Music and Speech Building, past Prentice Hall, and back into the parking lot. There they begin to disperse, many placing their candles at one of the sites where Allison, Jeffrey, Sandy and William fell. From now until 12:24 p.m. on May 4 -- the minute shots rang out 30 years ago -- people will take turns standing vigil in each of the four spaces. They stand silent, motionless, reflecting.

Candlelight surrounds a couple during a May 4 vigil.
Candlelight surrounds a couple during a May 4 vigil. The Jewish poem of remembrance in this story was written by Rabbis Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer, and is read each May 4. (Kent State Archives)


 At the shining of the sun, and in the warmth of the summer,

we remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn,
we remember them.
The physical reminders are scattered across the campus of Kent State. The May 4 Site and Memorial. The new markers in the Prentice Hall parking lot. The "Kent Four" sculpture in front of the Art Building. The May 4 Resource Center in the library. Although the lesser-known memorials tend to fade into the landscape, their presence reminds us of what shook the campus in 1970.

But for many people, the most important way of remembering May 4 is not in the form of a concrete object. It takes the shape of a candlelight walk and vigil.


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The pavement where they fell
 May 7, 1954 -- France loses its control over Vietnam following a 55-day battle with the Viet Minh.