What was your role on campus at the time:

Faculty

During the school year 1969-70, where did you live:

Off-Campus

Were you a member of any student organization on campus? If so, which one(s)?

N/A

During the weeks before the university closed, what was the most significant thing you observed?

I remember passing the front of the administration building where there was a row of guardsmen and an officer out in front who was reading what I recognized from my military training as the “Riot Act,” ordering the crowd to disperse. The crowd just jeered. Someone in the guardsmen shouted the command, “One round, lock and load” and the M-1 rifles went “crack” as the rounds went home. I got out of there quickly.

What were your impressions of campus during the time period?

It was chaos in the center, but the life of the university went on around the demonstrations. In the library, there were large basins of water and towels for those exposed to the tear gas.

Did you think the university should be closed? Why or why not?

Yes, the demonstrations were escalating and a break was needed before there were fatalities like Kent State. Few people are aware of the number of shootings by police and sheriff’s deputies on campus.

What did you do during the two weeks the university was closed?

We had just applied for a mortgage to purchase a house and initially the application was denied because the bank wasn’t sure if and when the campus would reopen.

Did you return to finish the quarter?

Yes

Looking back, what do you think are the lasting legacies of the student demonstrations?

During the renovation of the Thompson Library later that decade, Hugh Atkinson insisted that the air intakes for the library have closing shutters to exclude tear gas. Also, the campus planners took advantage of the shutdown to permanently exclude vehicles from the central campus, a step they had desired for years and finally had the opportunity to implement it.