Finding Aid for the Robert E. Kelley photographs

May 4 Collection - Box 42

Repository:  Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives
Title: Robert E. Kelley papers
Inclusive Dates: 1968-2024 
Bulk Dates: 1968-1971 
Author: Eve Fenn, August 2025
Origination: Kelley, Robert E., 1948- 
Extent: 1 cubic foot (1 records storage box) 
Physical Location: 12th floor 
Abstract: Robert E. Kelley is a Kent State University alumnus who was involved in the anti-war movement on Kent State’s campus during the Vietnam War. Kelley was active in the campus chapter of the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam and was present for the Kent, OH and Washington D.C. Moratorium marches in the fall of 1969. This collection is comprised of photographs, negatives, contact sheets, and writings related to these events. 
Language: English 

Biographical Note: Robert E. Kelley is a 1971 graduate of Kent State University who was involved in the anti-war movement on Kent State’s campus during the Vietnam War. Kelley was born in Cleveland, OH in 1948 and attended St. Edward High School. He attended the University of Notre Dame for his first two years of college before transferring to Kent State, where he became active in the campus chapter of the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. Kelley majored in English, minored in Sociology, and enjoyed taking courses in photography. Kelley was a friend of Allison Krause, and following the Kent State Shootings of May 4, 1970, he sent photographs he had taken of her to Krause’s father. In the spring of 1971, Kelley graduated from Kent State and went on to earn a Master’s of Library Science from Oklahoma University in 1974. Kelley completed a PhD in Library Science at the University of North Texas in 1992. He also studied documentary filmmaking for two years at the University of Texas at Austin. Kelley worked as a librarian for 34 years in both public and academic libraries. He retired from professional librarianship in 2016 and resides in Dallas, Texas. 

Scope and Content: This collection includes photographs, negatives, contact sheets, and writings. The bulk of the materials are from 1968-1971 and are related to the Moratorium Marches against the Vietnam War in Kent, OH on October 15, 1969 and in Washington, D.C. on November 15, 1969. Also included are images of a march in Kent on the first anniversary of the Kent State Shootings. Of note are images of Allison Krause as a student. The photographic prints are mounted on board and include captions written by Robert Kelley.

Statement of Arrangement: This collection has been arranged by date and then by format.

Related Materials: 

For more information on the Kent Moratorium to end the War in Vietnam, see: 

• Kent State Shootings photographs from various sources collection
• Kent State University Police records

Preferred Citation: Robert E. Kelley papers. May 4 Collection. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections & Archives.

Restrictions on Use: Robert Kelley donated copyright associated with the photographs in this collection to Kent State University.  

Acquisition Information: Robert Kelley donated this collection to Special Collections & Archives in 2024.

May 4 Collection - Box 42
Folder -- Contents 

1. Photograph: Robert E. Kelley, fall 1968 
2. Photographs: Young Democrats, 1968
   Physical Description: 35mm black-and-white negatives
3. Photograph: Allison Krause, September, 1969 
4. Photograph: Allison Krause, Barry Levine, and Unidentified Friend, September, 1969
5. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Audience Members Listen to Speakers, October 15, 1969 
6. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Crowd at March Destination, October 15, 1969 
7. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Faculty Members, Children, and Students at the March, October 15, 1969 
8. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Four On-lookers Observe the March, October 15, 1969 
9. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Fraternity House with Sign, October 15, 1969 
10. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Fraternity President Speaks to a Crowd, October 15, 1969 
11. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Girl with a Sign at the March, October 15, 1969 
12. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Kent Student Mobilization Committee Table, October 15, 1969 
13. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Marchers in Downtown Kent, October 15, 1969 
14. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Minister Speaking, October 15, 1969 
15. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Sign, October 15, 1969 
16. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Standard Oil Employee Views March, October 15, 1969 
17. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Student Addresses Crowd, October 15, 1969 
18. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Student Mobilization Committee, October 15, 1969 
19. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Student Mobilization Committee Members with Banner, October 15, 1969 
20. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Students Listening to Speakers, October 15, 1969 
21. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Students Listening to Speakers, October 15, 1969
22. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Students Marching, October 15, 1969  
23. Photograph: Kent Moratorium :Students Marching, October 15, 1969
24. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Students Protesting, October 15, 1969 
25. Photograph: Kent Moratorium: Woman Holding Child, October 15, 1969 
26. Photographs: Kent Moratorium on Vietnam War, October 15, 1969
    Physical Description: 35mm black-and-white negatives. 
27. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Close-up of the Crowd, November 15, 1969 
28. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Crowd Cheering, November 15, 1969 
29. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Crowd Marches Past Government Building, November 15, 1969 
30. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Crowd Members Hold Flags, November 15, 1969 
31. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Crowd Members Making the Peace Sign, November 15, 1969 
32. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Crowd of Protesters, November 15, 1969 
33. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Crowds of People by the Water, November 15, 1969 
34. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Elderly Women at the March, November 15, 1969 
35. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Group of Young Men, November 15, 1969 
36. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Large Crowd of Marchers, November 15, 1969 
37. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Large Crowd of Marchers, November 15, 1969 
38. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Policeman at the March, November 15, 1969
39. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protester Holds up Flag, November 15, 1969
40. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protester with Flag, November 15, 1969. 
41. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protesters Climb Stoplights, November 15, 1969  
42. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protesters Shouting, November 15, 1969
43. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protesters Sit on Statue, November 15, 1969 
44. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protesters Sit on Stone Engraved with “United States of America”, November 15, 1969 
    Scope and Content: This image was likely taken outside of the National Gallery of Art. 
45. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Protesters Sleeping on Stairs, November 15, 1969 
46. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Small Group of Marchers, November 15, 1969 
47. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Three Police Officers, November 15, 1969 
48. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Two Men on a Statue, November 15, 1969 
49. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: U.S. Department of Justice, November 15, 1969 
50. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Vast Crowd at the March, November 15, 1969 
51. Photograph: Washington D.C. Moratorium: Woman with Buttons, November 15, 1969 
52. Photographs: Kent and Washington D.C. Moratorium Marches for Peace, October 15, 1969, November 15, 1969  
    Physical Description: 35 mm black-and-white negatives 
53. Photograph: Night Scene in Downtown Kent, fall 1969
54. Photograph: Night Scene in Kent, fall 1969
55. Photograph: Pottery Demonstration, fall 1969
56. Photograph: Quite Rightly in Kent, fall 1969
57. Photographs: Campus Scenes, circa 1969
    Physical Description: 35 mm black-and-white negatives 
58. Contact Sheets, circa 1968-1971 
    Scope and Content: Multiple contact sheets of 35mm negatives that correspond to most of the photographic prints and negatives in the collection. Some images in the contact sheets do not have corresponding negatives or prints.  
59. Photographs: March in Downtown Kent, May 4, 1971 
    Physical Description: 35 mm black-and-white negatives 
60. Writing and Photographic Captions: “Moratorium: Antiwar Speeches, March at Kent 50 Years Ago,” Robert E. Kelley, 2019; 2024 
61. Writing: “Washington D.C Peace March, November 15, 1969,” Robert E. Kelley, November, 2019