Kent State Shootings: Oral Histories

Ellis Berns Oral History

Kent State Shootings: Oral Histories

Ellis Berns Oral History

Transcription Show Transcript
Narrator Berns, Ellis
Narrator's Role Student at Kent State University in 1970
Date of Interview 2010-05-04
Description An undergraduate student at Kent State University from 1967-1971, Ellis Berns discusses his experiences during the events surrounding the May 4, 1970, shootings on campus. He describes what he witnessed during the days prior to the shootings, including the unrest in the downtown area of the City of Kent on May 1 and the burning of the ROTC building on May 2. He relates his eyewitness account of the shootings and describes how he happened to be walking away from The Commons with Sandra Scheuer and was next to her when she was shot and killed, making him the last person to see her alive. Berns concludes his interview by discussing his experiences during the aftermath of the shootings, including being interviewed by the FBI, presenting his testimony that Scheuer was not involved in the protests and was simply walking to class when she was shot, and the reactions of his and his girlfriend's parents.
Length of Interview 47:02 minutes
Places Discussed Akron (Ohio)
Kent (Ohio)
Time Period discussed 1970-1971
Subject(s) Ambulances
College environment--Ohio--Kent
College students--Ohio--Kent--Interviews
Conflict of generations
Curfews--Ohio--Kent
Demonstrations--Ohio--Kent
Eyewitness accounts
Freedom of speech
Kent State Shootings, Kent, Ohio, 1970
Kent State University. ROTC Building--Fires
Martial law--Ohio--Kent
Ohio. Army National Guard
Photographs
Rhodes, James A. (James Allen), 1909-2001
Scheuer, Sandra, d. 1970
Students for a Democratic Society (U.S.)
Students--Ohio--Kent--Interviews
Tear gas munitions
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements
Repository Special Collections and Archives
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Duplication Policy http://www.library.kent.edu/special-collections-and-archives/duplication-policy
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