Dover library to host program on Kent State shootings

Dover Public Library will host a program on the Kent State shootings at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 4, in the library’s community room.

The presentation, titled “The Kent State Shootings — Murder or Misfortune?” will be given by Van Young, who arrived on the Kent State campus the year after the May 4, 1970, shootings.

Young will examine the events leading up to the shootings and the aftermath, including the trial of National Guardsmen several years later. He also will explore whether responsibility rested with the soldiers, the student demonstrators or both, while discussing the tension between anti-war protesters and the U.S. government at the time.

Young describes himself as a self-taught historian. A native of northeast Ohio, he now lives in Columbus. Since retiring from AT&T in 2012, he has become active with two central Ohio Civil War organizations and serves as president of the Griswold Center American History Study Group.

He presents on 70 topics related to American history, travel and current events for history groups, senior centers, retirement communities and colleges.

Dover Public Library is located at 525 N. Walnut St. To register, visit doverlibrary.org/events or call 330-343-6123.