“After four years I was scheduled to graduate Spring Quarter, 1970. It was the main thought on my mind. I could taste the end coming. There were protests against the Vietnam War at several college campuses around the country. The Ohio State University was not immune.

Things got more ugly as spring arrived. There was talk and rumor of students taking over the ROTC [building] or the Administration Building [Bricker Hall]. One day, students blocked the Neil Avenue entrance to campus (it was a through street in those days). Protest signs were carried and many students skipped classes. Me, I just wanted to graduate. Just a few more days, I told myself.

One day in early May, someone or something snapped. Suddenly the campus was filled with very young and nervous members of the Ohio National Guard. Their apparent job was to guard campus buildings [while] protestors tried to block access. Some students (like me) and instructors tried to go to class and hold regular sessions. Many classes discussed the war and the protests. In one class, we were told that a guest lecturer was coming.  The guest lecturer was David Green, who burned his purported draft card in public. That was a criminal offense enforced at the time. They literally sneaked him in and out the back door to avoid arrest.

On the worst day in May as the acrid smell of tear gas permeated the air, I tried to go to my psychology lecture (my days to graduation were ticking) and I was forced out of the classroom building by the National Guard. Outside, I found a lot of confusion. The nervous guardsmen were ordered to gather the students on the Oval. There were rumors that snipers were on top of campus buildings! No one knew anything. We were held on the Oval for what seemed like hours.

Finally, one old history professor got a microphone and tried to talk to the scared, nervous crowd on the Oval. He did not yell or scream that day. He just talked and talked, and he wasn’t afraid. I think the crowd could sense that. He was the only speaker not greeted with boos. Now, I’m not saying that the old history professor saved the day or anything, but I appreciated his effort. When I ran into that old history professor a few years later, [OSU Football Coach] Woody [Hayes] told me in a soft voice that it was a tough time that he remembered well.

My last memory of that day on the Oval was bad. Finally, we were told to go home. I walked to my car alone that was parked next to the Stadium (yes, we parked there in 1970). When I got to Neil Avenue, a Columbus policeman threw a tear gas canister at me that landed ten feet away. Me, who just wanted to graduate in a few days. I was no protestor. This happened to many students. I can still smell that odor. As I remember, campus police changed their uniforms before the next academic year to more closely resemble Ohio Highway Patrolman uniforms. Coincidence, I think not.

After nervously waiting at home for two weeks, most students were happy to resume classes. We were allowed to take classes pass/fail, which I gladly took advantage of. I graduated in four years and twelve quarters (yes, many students did that in 1970).”  

-James Baumann