55 Years Later, Two Kent State Shooting Survivors Remember

On May 4, 1970, National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four and wounding nine.

Bronze marker memorializing the location where Thomas Grace was wounded during the Kent State shooting on May 4, 1970. Photo courtesy of Thomas Grace.

Among the wounded were best friends Alan Canfora and Thomas Grace. Alan died of cancer in 2020, but Thomas came to StoryCorps to remember that day with Alan’s younger sister, Chic Canfora, who was a Kent State sophomore at the time.

Chic Canfora, Alan Canfora, and Thomas Grace circa 2012 in downtown Kent, OH. Photo by Michael Pacifico.

Top photo: Chic Canfora (lower left) with her brother Alan Canfora (with flag) during a protest at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, May 4, 1970. Photo by John Filo/Getty Images.

This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Originally aired May 2, 2025 on NPR’s Morning Edition.