History of the Center
The May 4 Visitors Center was founded by Kent State professors, Carol Barbato and Laura Davis, who both witnessed the May 4 shootings as Kent State students. After years of effort by a dedicated team, the May 4 Visitors Center opened its doors in May of 2013. Faculty, administrators, students, community members, veterans, and humanities scholars worked together with local historians to determine the museum's content and design the Visitors Center. Feedback was solicited from all circles through public forums and focus groups.
The project was made possible by a 300,000 dollar grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities and by a combined 667,000 dollars in funding from all 16 deans from every Kent State campus and college. The design firm of Gallagher and Associates worked with Kent State to design the displays. Exhibits were constructed by Exhibit Concepts, Inc. Davis and Barbato, along with GTOO Media produced the film "A Turning Point" which is featured in the Center’s second gallery. The film won the Golden Eagle Award from the Council on International Non-Theatrical Events in 2013. The Visitors Center also received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Ohio Local History Alliance (OLHA) in 2014.
Founders
Carole Barbato
For 39 years, Carole Barbato, Ph.D., served as a dedicated, engaged, tireless Kent State faculty member on the East Liverpool and Kent Campuses who excelled as a teacher, author, university citizen, and activist. She led countless students to success through the well-prepared and enthusiastic teaching of 21 different communication studies courses.
Dr. Barbato fulfilled a deep personal and professional commitment to honor those who were lost on May 4, 1970. She helped place the markers where Allison, Jeff, Bill, and Sandy, her childhood friend, fell. She taught "May 4, 1970 & Its Aftermath" for many years; co-created the May 4 Visitors Center and Walking Tour; and contributed to placing the site on the National Register of Historic Places and its recognition as a National Historic Landmark.
Laura Davis
Laura Davis, Ph.D., was a freshman at Kent State University when she witnessed the shootings on May 4, 1970. She became a faculty member at Kent State, team teaching “May 4, 1970 & Its Aftermath” with Carole Barbato, Ph.D. With Dr. Barbato, she co-created the May 4 Walking Tour and May 4 Visitors Center, through consultation with hundreds of members of the campus, public, scholars and design professionals and supported by funding from the Ohio Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dr. Davis has provided many May 4 tours and interviews to students and the media and has appeared in documentary films on May 4, including Emmy-winner “Kent State: The Day the War Came Home.” Her collaborative May 4 publications include “Democratic Narrative, History, and Memory” and “This We Know: A Chronology of the Shootings at Kent State, May 1970.” Dr. Davis, Dr. Barbato and Jerry Lewis, Ph.D., worked with Mark Seeman, Ph.D., to have the May 4 site placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. Dr. Davis and Dr. Seeman worked with colleagues Brad Keefer, Ph.D., Mindy Farmer, Ph.D. and Lori Boes to achieve National Historic Landmark status for the site in 2016.