Daniel A. Nell, Personal Narrative

Submitted via email, April 23, 2000

May 4th is my birthday and on that day in 1970 my sister was in the crowd at the bottom of the hill during the shootings. I remember being called at my job by my mother telling me to come home, we needed to get to Kent to pick up my sister. That was my first trip to Kent. We were stopped at the Kent State golf course by police. We waited there until given permission to go into town. We were escorted by police. My sister was housed at Terrace Hall. I vividly remember the streets were empty except for some Ohio National guard jeeps. It was pretty much confusion at Terrace Hall with students leaving...waiting and staring in total disbelief at the day's events...shock is a good word. We got her and left for Warren, Ohio. More than once she apologized for this happening on my birthday, like it was her fault.

The following year I enrolled at The Kent State Trumbull branch, moving to main campus in my sophomore year. Every year I was there I participated in the candle light vigil held at the site plus I researched and used that incident in many of my papers and broadcast assignments the years I was there. I graduated from Kent in 1975 and I am proud of the May 4th tradition that you have carried on. It should never be forgotten or cheapened and I will someday get back to see the way the university has kept and memorialized that historical ground.

Most Sincerely,
Daniel A. Nell