Finding Aid for the William Arthrell papers

Repository: Kent State University. Special Collections and Archives.
Title: William Arthrell papers
Inclusive Dates: 1966-2022
Author: Finding aid prepared by Liz Campion, May 2025
Origination: Arthell, William, 1949-2022
Extent: 2 cubic feet (2 boxes = 2 record storage boxes)
Physical Location: 12th floor
Abstract: This collection consists of correspondence, creative works, news clippings, t-shirts, and other materials compiled by William Arthrell. Most of the collection relates to his anti-war activism surrounding May 4, 1970 and its aftermath.
Language: English
Descriptive Rules: DACS 2nd Edition

Biography of William ("Bill") Arthrell

William George Arthrell, commonly known as Bill, was born on April 21, 1949. In 1970, Bill was an undergraduate history major at Kent State University and was very active in the anti-war movement.  On April 22, 1970, he organized an anti-war demonstration where he publicized his intention to kill a dog with napalm.  Outraged students arrived to the event, where Arthrell explained to the crowd that there was no dog, and no napalm, and if they were so outraged by the napalming of a dog, where was the outrage of our government napalming people in Vietnam?

Less than two weeks later, on May 4, 1970, Arthrell and Robert "Robby" Stamps, arrived together to a demonstration against the Vietnam war, but became separated from one another.  The Ohio National Guard opened fire into a crowd of students, killing four, and wounding nine, one of which was Arthrell's friend, Robby Stamps. After the shootings, a state grand jury indicted 25 people, including Bill Arthrell, on criminal charges in conjunction with the events of May 4, 1970. The charges were later dropped. He was also involved in the 1977 student movement to oppose the construction of the gymnasium annex on the site of the shootings on the Kent State University campus.

Arthrell was a pillar in the anti-war movement for Vietnam and most recently, Ukraine, by taking part in countless protests and anti-war demonstrations, supporting a documentary entitled, "Ukraine: Path to Freedom" and working to translate his poetry book, The Ukrainian Heart.

Arthrell died on January 31, 2022 at the age of 72.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials compiled by William Arthrell, an eyewitness to the Kent State Shootings on May 4, 1970. This collection includes correspondence, creative works, news clippings, subject files, t-shirts, and other materials related to events surrounding May 4, 1970, and their aftermath.

Statement of Arrangement

The William Arthrell papers is organized into seven series:

• Series 1: Correspondence
• Series 2: Legal Documents
• Series 3: Manuscripts and Poetry
• Series 4: News Clippings and Periodicals
• Series 5: Subject Files
• Series 6: Audio-Visual Materials
• Series 7: T-Shirts

Preferred Citation

William Arthrell papers. May 4 Collection. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.

Separated Material

Books from the personal library of William Arthrell are shelved separately and are cataloged in KentLINK. General clippings about the Kent State shootings and related topics have been removed from this collection and have been integrated into the May 4 Clippings, Magazines, and Journal Articles collection.

Acquisition Information

The materials in this collection were donated to Kent State University Special Collections and Archives by the Estate of William Arthrell.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1970-1993

Box 53
Folder -- Contents

1. Correspondence: Anderson, Maggie and Gildzen, Alex, April 4, 1993
2. Correspondence: Arthrell, Bill, 1978; undated
3. Correspondence: Arthrell, Mildred, 1970-1986
4. Correspondence: Bard, Susan Elizabeth, undated
5. Correspondence: Costanza, Margaret (White House), August 26, 1977
6. Correspondence: Cunningham, Flo, July 10, 1992
7. Correspondence: Glenn, John (U.S. Senator), August 19-26, 1977
8. Correspondence: Golding, Brage, May 5, 1980
9. Correspondence: Green, James R., undated
10. Correspondence: Hendricks, A. E., April 1, 1970
11. Correspondence: Joyce, Joseph P., April 26, 1971
12. Correspondence: Student Government and Students of Jersey City State College, 1977
13. Correspondence: Tom and Barbara, July 13, 1977
14. Correspondence: Unknown, October 26, 1970
15. Correspondence: White, Robert, July 21, 1970

Series 2: Legal Documents, 1970-2008

16. Entry on Special Grand Jury, October 16, 1970
17. Kent State University Office of Student Conduct Complaint, May 20, 1971
18. Legal Receipts, 1977-1978
19. Pretrial Summons, 1971-1977
20. State of Ohio v. Richard Terrass and Thomas Goldman, 1978
21. State of Ohio v. William G. Arthrell, 1970-1972
22. State of Ohio v. William Arthrell and Mark Miller, 1978
23. State of Ohio v. William G. Arthrell, 2008

Series 3: Manuscripts and Poetry, 1966-2018

24. Manuscript: "Arrested for Reading the First Amendment," undated
25. Manuscript: "I Recently Visited Washington D.C...," undated
26. Manuscript: "Kent State and Vietnam," undated
27. Manuscript: "May 4 Remembered," undated
28. Manuscript: "An Open Letter to the Board of Trustees," June 1977
29. Manuscript: "Police Violence," July 8, 1977
30. Manuscript: "Sounds from Those Who Care," July 14, 1966
31. Manuscript: "Welcome to Kent Police State University," May 4, 1978
32. Poetry: "11 Bayonets, May 3, Kent, Ohio," April 8, 2018
33. Poetry: "Celebration," undated
34. Poetry: "Bomb Craters," undated
35. Poetry: "Conversation with a Sister at Kent," undated
36. Poetry: "Guilt Trip," August 1998
37. Poetry: "Kent 25," undated
38. Poetry: "Kent State," undated
39. Poetry: "May 4th Coalition Lexicon," 1977
40. Poetry: "One Hippie Week," August 27, 2010
41. Poetry: "Springtime," July 10, 2006
42. Poetry: "Then: March 16, 1968," August 1998
43. Various Handwritten Works, undated

Series 4: News Clippings and Periodicals, 1964-2020

44. News Clippings: Ohio, Akron. Akron Beacon Journal, 1977-2005
45. News Clippings: Ohio, Cleveland. Plain Dealer, 1970-1997
46. News Clippings: Ohio, Elyria: The Chronicle Telegram, 1971-2020
47. News Clippings: Ohio, Highland Hills. The High Point, March 9, 1983
48. News Clippings: Ohio, Kent. Record-Courier, 2008; undated
49. News Clippings: Ohio, Lorain. The Journal, 1970-1977
50. News Clippings: Ohio, Oberlin. The Oberlin Review, 1977-2000
51. News Clippings: Various Sources, 1970-2010
    Physical Location: Oversized material shelved in map case.
52. News Clippings: YIPster Times, undated
53. Publication: Alternatives, No. 5, Winter 1977-1978
54. Publication: Coventry Shopping News, Vol. 1, No. 76, June 24, 1977
55. Publication: Gallery, April 1979
56. Publication: Mock Convention, Oberlin College, 1964
57. Publication: Ohio Civil Liberties, Vol. 11, No. 4, December 21, 1971
58. Publication: The Ones They Missed with Bullets, undated
59. Publication: Stump City, undated
    Physical Location: Oversized material shelved in map case.
60. Publication: The Survivors will Envy the Dead, 1982
61. Publication: TIME, December 20, 1971

Series 5: Subject Files, 1968-2022

62. Brochures and Pamphlets, 1970-1975; undated
63. Bumper Stickers, undated
64. A Gathering of Poets, undated
65. Investigation of Students for a Democratic Society, Part 2 (KSU), June 1969
66. Kent Legal Defense Fund, 1970; undated
67. Kent Women's Liberation Movement, 1971
68. May 4th Coalition, 1977; undated
69. May 4th Task Force, undated
70. "Move the Gym" Armband, undated
71. Oberlin Progressive Student Network, 1982
72. Obituary Information, 2022
73. Official Transcripts and Grade Report, 1969-1973
74. Petitions, 1970-1977
75. Photographs, 1972; undated
76. Play Script, undated
77. Portage County Committee for Free Speech and Assembly, 1977; undated
78. Posters, 1974; undated
    Physical Location: Oversized material shelved in map case.
79. Presidential Notice and Order, 1977
80. Press Release, November 22, 1977
81. Residence Hall Contract, 1968-1969
82. Selective Service System, 1969-1972
83. "Too Many Martyrs: Student Massacres at Orangeburg, Kent, and Jackson State" Outline, undated
84. Young Socialist Alliance and Young Workers Liberation League, undated

Series 6: Audiovisual Materials, 1981-2016

Scope and Content: These materials have been named according to what was written on their labels.

Restriction on Use: Kent State University does not own the copyright to these items. They are available for research use only.

85. Video Recording: "May 4th Voices, Kent State, 1970," 2013
    Format of Original: DVD
86. Video Recording: "Ukraine, Path to Freedom," 2016
    Format of Original: DVD
87. Video Recording: "Bill Arthrell Poetry Reading, Kiva, KSU for May 4th Anniversary," May 3, 1996
    Format of Original: VHS Tape
88. Video Recording: "'Kent State' TV Film, 1981, I'm characterized in the movie, videotaped by the Crittendons"
    Format of Original: VHS Tape

Series 7: T-Shirts, 1970-2015

Box 54
Folder -- Contents

1. "Kent Police State University," white t-shirt, undated, but likely 1970s
2. "Remember Kent State, Move the Gym," white t-shirt, 1977
3. "1970-2000 Kent State Vietnam...Never Again! Learn It, Live It, Teach It," white t-shirt, 2000
4. "Tell Me Father, Did They Aim? May 4, 1970, May 4, 2005; 35th Year," black t-shirt, 2005
5. "Roots of Resistance Continuing the Struggle, Kent State May 4, 1970-2010," black t-shirt, 2010
6. "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied, Kent State May 4, 1960-2011," green t-shirt, 2011
7. "Don't Give Up the Fight, Kent State May 4, 1970-2012," gray t-shirt, 2012
8. "Come Together, Kent State, May 4, 1970-2013," gray t-shirt, 2013
9. "45th, The Persistence of Memory, 1970-2015, M4TF, Jeff, Allison, Bill, and Sandy," purple t-shirt, 2015