On a grassy hillside on Kent State University's Kent Campus, behind the Prentice residence hall and near the May 4 Memorial , there's a peace symbol carved into the grass. It's about five feet by five feet square, edged into the grass and defined by small, white rocks.
It was created as an unofficial commemoration by some members of the Kent State grounds crew and almost didn't survive, until members of the community spoke up.
A look around the area near the peace symbol.
Give Peace a Chance
In April 2010, members of the University Facilities Management grounds crew were cleaning up the area around the May 4 Memorial (edging, trimming, planting, mulching, etc.), in advance of the 40th annual May 4 commemoration. Kent State groundskeepers Maggie Marguiles and Mike Gruich wanted to create something special to for the 40th commemoration. It also marked the 20-year anniversary of the dedication of the May 4 Memorial.
This was an unplanned and unauthorized project. Also, it was not without challenges. Rebekkah Berryhill, manager, care of grounds for University Facilities Management, shared the story of the symbol's history. "One of the funniest parts of the whole peace sign saga was that not only did the groundskeepers 'go off script,' in creating it," Berryhill said, "But the first iteration of the peace sign that Maggie and Mike worked on actually resembled the Mercedes-Benz emblem because Mike thought they were the same symbol. Maggie had to stop him, as he was edging the grass, and show him a couple of pictures of the difference."
She added, "Those two employees couldn't have been more different, but they got along and worked really well together."
Keeping the Peace
The manager of the grounds crew at that time was not happy about this unplanned and unauthorized addition to the landscape. She made these two crew members fill in the symbol and re-seed the area. "But then, there was an outcry from folks in Taylor Hall and some of the students that the peace sign had disappeared," said Berryhill. "The final decision was that the peace sign could stay, and the grounds crew would edge it out yearly and refresh the white gravel every few years."
