Thomas S. Lough papers

May 4 Collection - Box 21

Finding Aid

Revised by Nancy Birk, October 18, 1994. Updated by Penny White, December 18, 2012; Revised January 2017

Inclusive Dates: 1968-1978
Extent: .16 cubic foot (1 slim document case)
Physical Location: 12th floor

Biographical Note: Thomas Stephens Lough was an associate professor of sociology at Kent State University in May 1970. He was a former faculty advisor to Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and was on the steering committee of the Concerned Citizens of the Kent Community (CCC)--an organization formed in April 1969 in the aftermath of arrests and suspensions of students occupying the Music & Speech building. CCC was made up of a diverse group of faculty and students and focused on issues of due process and the rights and civil liberties of students on campus. The group formulated demands that the charter be reinstated and charges and suspensions be dropped. He was also the only faculty member to be indicted as one of the "Kent 25" (allegations of improper conduct on the part of Lough were unfounded). Lough went on to be a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University (SSU) and an evaluator, judge, and hall of fame member of SSU's Project Censored. He was also an accomplished musician. Lough died at the age of 80 on October 11, 2008.

Scope and Content: Many of the materials in this collection focus on the Black United Students (BUS)-SDS protest of Oakland Police recruitment on campus and the subsequent Black Student Walkout in November 1968. Also included are materials created by the Concerned Citizens of the Kent Community (CCC), along with official publications and memos sent to faculty by the Kent State administration in relation to the SDS and BUS protest activities and subsequent events.

Processing Note: In January 2017, this collection, which previously included the papers of William A. Gordon and Kenneth J. Hammond, was re-processed. The papers of each individual have been processed separately.

Sponsor: Digitization of this collection was funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

May 4 Collection - Box 21
Folder -- Contents

1. Black Student Walkout: "You People" by Jerry M. Lewis, undated
   Physical Description: 29-page typescript (photocopy), heavily annotated throughout. Some text is cut off in this photocopied typescript.
2. Clippings: Black Student Walkout, 1968
3. Correspondence: Gene Wenninger to Sociology & Anthropology Staff, April 1969
4. Correspondence: Paul A. Maloy to/from Lough, April 1969
5. Correspondence: Jon Krosnick to/from Lough, 1975
   Scope and Content: Krosnick, a student journalist at Lough's alma mater, The Lawrenceville School, asks Lough to comment on his indictment among the "Kent 25" in 1970. Lough's response reflects on how the event affected him, specifically how he was portrayed by the media at the time. Includes a note from Lough to Jerry M. Lewis, to whom he sent the exchange.
6. Directory: Portage Area Chapter: American Civil Liberties Union, undated
7. Investigation of Students for a Democratic Society, Part 2: Kent State University, Government Printing Office, 1969
8. Leaflets: GI Rights to Demonstrate, undated
9. Leaflets: New University Conference (NUC), undated
10. Leaflets, Memos, Statements: BUS/SDS Oakland Police Protest and Black Student Walkout, 1968
    Physical Location: Two items from this file, published by Kent SDS, are oversized and are filed in the map case.
11. Leaflets, Memos, Statements: Music & Speech Occupation, 1969
12. Leaflets, Publications: CCC, 1969; undated
    Scope and Content: Includes two anonymously printed leaflets aimed at the CCC and the CCC's subsequent response to those leaflets. Also includes materials related to a CCC campus-wide referendum ballot distributed in the aftermath of the Music & Speech incident.
13. Leaflets, Publications: SDS, undated (most likely 1968 and 1969)
14. The Meaning of May 4, Kent State University, or "Really folks, I mean it!" by The April 18th Coalition, 1978?
15. Memo: Guidelines for Faculty in Event of Class Disruption, April 17, 1969
16. Memo: Professor-Course Evaluation Commission, 1968
17. Newsletter: FYI, April 1969
    Scope and Content: Three issues of Kent State's FYI newsletter regarding arrests and suspensions of students involved in the Music & Speech Building occupation on April 16, 1969 and subsequent suspension of the Kent SDS charter.
18. Newsletter: Kent State University Staff Bulletin, February, 1969
19. Newsletter: YSA News. Kent Young Socialist Alliance, undated (but likely 1969)
20. Notes by Lough: Black Student Walkout, 1968
21. Notes by Lough: Music & Speech Incident and Referendum Ballot, undated (but likely April 1969)
22. Report of the Special Committee of Inquiry. Kent Chapter of The American Association of University Professors, September 1969
23. Special Bulletins: Office of the President, November 1968
24. Special Bulletin: Office of the VP for Student Affairs, April 18, 1969
25. Special Bulletin: Office of the VP for Student Affairs: Legal Response from CCC, undated (but likely April 1969)