Kent State Shootings: Oral Histories

Denny Benedict Oral History

Kent State Shootings: Oral Histories

Denny Benedict Oral History

Transcription Show Transcript
Narrator Benedict, Denny
Narrator's Role Student at Kent State University in 1970
Date of Interview 2010-04-08
Description An undergraduate student at Kent State University from 1969 to 1973, Denny Benedict describes his experiences on campus during the year of the May 4, 1970, shootings. He begins by talking about what campus life was like in 1969. He describes the events he witnessed during the weekend prior to the shootings: the ROTC Building fire on May 2 and the demonstration and confrontation with National Guardsmen, who were armed with bayonets, on Sunday, May 3. He was on the Commons the following day and relates a detailed eyewitness account of the shootings and the movements of the National Guard companies as they attempted to break up the crowd. He concludes by discussing his experiences during the aftermath of the shootings, including the discrimination against Kent State students that he experienced and his return to campus to complete his degree the following fall.
Length of Interview 32:31 minutes
Places Discussed Kent (Ohio)
Marysville (Ohio)
Time Period discussed 1969-1970
Subject(s) Armored vehicles, Military
Bayonets
College environment--Ohio--Kent
College students--Ohio--Kent--Interviews
Demonstrations--Ohio--Kent
Eyewitness accounts
Frank, Glenn W.
Helicopters
Helicopters
Kent State Shootings, Kent, Ohio, 1970
Kent State University. Memorial Gym
Kent State University. ROTC Building--Fires
Miller, Jeffrey, d. 1970
Motorcyclists--Ohio--Kent
Ohio. Army National Guard
Students--Ohio--Kent--Interviews
Tear gas munitions
Repository Special Collections and Archives
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Institution Kent State University
DPLA Rights Statement http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format of Original audio digital file
Disclaimer The content of oral history interviews, written narratives and commentaries is personal and interpretive in nature, relying on memories, experiences, perceptions, and opinions of individuals. They do not represent the policy, views or official history of Kent State University and the University makes no assertions about the veracity of statements made by individuals participating in the project. Users are urged to independently corroborate and further research the factual elements of these narratives especially in works of scholarship and journalism based in whole or in part upon the narratives shared in the May 4 Collection and the Kent State Shootings Oral History Project.
Provenance/Collection May 4 Collection