Only four years into his career at Kent State in 1970, Professor Jerry Lewis witnessed the tragedy of May 4. Lewis was in the Prentice Hall parking lot when four students were shot and killed and nine were injured during a protest. From that moment on, he devoted his career to ensuring the legacy of those students would remain.
Recently, the university recognized his efforts by opening an exhibit in the May 4 Visitors Center titled “Teach Peace: The Life and Legacy of Jerry Lewis.” The exhibit explores his career as a professor, activist, faculty marshal and collector who was driven by his passion for preserving the memory of May 4.
He began his time at the university during a climate of adversity for students, who had already begun protesting the global issues happening around them. Lewis, a sociology professor, became quick to engage with students who were promoting peace.
He was one of a group of faculty members who organized the university faculty marshal program in 1970, which was created to help mediate and promote peace during protests on campus.
Along with 35 other professors, he signed a petition against the Vietnam War. That is only one way that Lewis supported organizations like Black United Students and Students for a Democratic Society. He also offered to be a faculty advisor to any student group related to peace efforts on campus.
“Right off the bat, he was engaged, active and really reflective about his role as a professor,” said Alison Caplan, director of the May 4 Visitors Center. “That teaching students wasn’t just about lecturing but engaging with them and understanding how vulnerable they were.”
Molly Merryman, an associate professor in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, has known Lewis for nearly 30 years and spoke at the grand opening of the display.
Over the years of getting to know him, Merryman said, she learned that Jerry struggled with his inability to prevent the shootings.
“What you see in Jerry’s life is taking the trauma, survivor guilt and devastation of being there in that moment and turning it into a lifelong crusade,” she said.
Lewis used this guilt to fuel his dedication, playing a major role in the creation of the May 4 Visitors Center and the events that have surrounded it for years since. He spent years during and after his time at the university giving tours of the center and sharing with visitors firsthand accounts of what he experienced that day.
In 1971, along with the help of students, he established the first candlelight walk and vigil, an annual event that takes place during the time of the shootings. He was also one of the four co-authors of the application to add the May 4 site to the National Register of Historic Places, which was approved in 2010.
“I think it’s important to remember that although we’re at a point right now where we’re honoring Jerry, his efforts were not always appreciated,” Merryman said. “There have been various leaders who all wanted to see Kent shut down and the legacy of May 4 be erased.”
Even though his efforts weren’t always appreciated by people both on and off campus, Lewis was never discouraged or silenced. In fact, he consistently researched and studied the event to ensure that it never happened again.
“Jerry is one of the major figures who have given so much of themselves to ensure that this legacy of equality and academic freedom and free speech has been something that Kent State holds dear,” she said.
In 2010, he partnered with his fellow professor Thomas Hensley to create “Kent State and May 4th: A Social Science Perspective,” a book that stresses the importance of social science theory and methods on May 4.
Lewis taught from 1966 until 2013, becoming a professor emeritus in 1996. He turned 88 on April 1st and still resides in the Kent area. Though he was unable to attend the grand opening of the exhibit, he dedicated years to speaking about what that day was like.
“I saw the smoke come out of the weapons, because light travels faster than sound, and having been in the Army, I knew those were real firings,” Lewis said in an interview with a university librarian. “And so I — and I never know why I did this, I’ve always puzzled, but for some reason I went to my right, who knows why, which took me out of the line of fire. If I had gone to my left, because I was standing right behind, of course, Sandy Scheuer.”
Lewis’s reflections serve as a reminder of the lasting impact of that day, not only on those who witnessed it but on generations who continue to learn from its history. His dedication to sharing his experience has helped shape discussions on activism, education and the responsibility of institutions to foster dialogue and understanding. Through the Teach Peace exhibit, his legacy endures, ensuring that his message of awareness and reflection reaches both current and future visitors.
Not only can students benefit from learning about his activism and perseverance, Caplan said, but professors and faculty marshals can too.
“Kent State has had an approach where we understand and value the First Amendment, but people like Jerry Lewis also help us understand there’s this need to mediate,” she said.
The “Teach Peace: The Life and Legacy of Jerry Lewis Exhibit” is open from 9 to 5 every weekday and 1 to 5 on Saturdays for viewing until June 3.
Samira Brown is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].