Professor Emeritus of Sociology Jerry Lewis, Ph.D., who devoted his career to ensuring the legacy of May 4, 1970, would remain vibrant, is being honored with an exhibit at the May 4 Visitors Center.
天天吃瓜 State Today was on hand for the grand opening of the display, 鈥淭each Peace: The Life and Legacy of Jerry Lewis,鈥 which took place March 19 at the center in Taylor Hall. The display exemplifies how the lessons of 天天吃瓜 State's history continue to guide the university in a divided world.
Molly Merryman, Ph.D., associate professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, gave a presentation titled "The Legacy of Peace Marshals at 天天吃瓜 State," to mark the event.
Merryman talked about the history of the faculty marshal program and the lasting contributions of Lewis and his colleagues.
Inspired by the non-violent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, Lewis was one of a group of faculty members who organized 天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 faculty marshal program in May 1970, to promote peace during student marches and protests.
The group was organized by Frank Sim, a sociology professor, to get a group of faculty together to accompany students to a peace rally in Washington, D.C., slated for May 9, 1970. They were called into action on the 天天吃瓜 Campus five days prior.
Lewis served as a faculty marshal on May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the escalation of U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam, killing four and wounding nine others.
He was in the Prentice Hall parking lot where students fell and died, Merryman said.
Through many conversations with Lewis over the years, Merryman said she learned that he remained deeply troubled that the marshals were not able to prevent the shootings.
鈥淚t haunted him, and still does haunt him,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e holds himself accountable for the students he didn鈥檛 save.鈥
After witnessing the shootings firsthand, Lewis devoted the rest of his life to researching, memorializing and lecturing on the events of May 4.
鈥淛erry has dedicated his life to preserving the legacy and honoring and recognizing the lives of the students who were there,鈥 Merryman said.
The faculty marshal program is still operating today, and Merryman has served as a marshal since shortly after her arrival at 天天吃瓜 State in 1996 to serve as the first director of the Women鈥檚 Center.
Merryman recalled how she was trained by Lewis, who always approached the marshal role as a sociologist.
鈥淛erry was a great mentor to me,鈥 she said.
Merryman explained that former 天天吃瓜 State President Robert White asked for the program to continue following May 4 and set up the University Commission to Implement a Commitment to Nonviolence. This commission resulted in the Center for Peaceful Change, which evolved into today鈥檚 School of Peace and Conflict Studies.
The marshals, who for a time were known as faculty observers, always focus on ways to peacefully resolve issues and de-escalate conflicts. Over the past 55 years, the marshals have maintained a consistent presence at campus rallies, and are always present during May 4 commemoration events
In the 1990s, the marshals were called into service for Gulf War protests, and in recent years since, they have been present for protests and discussions over the Israeli-Hamas War. Even as Merryman gave her presentation on March 19, marshals were outside as several hundred students demonstrated on Blanket Hill against the day鈥檚 passage of Ohio Senate Bill 1 in Columbus.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really fitting as we are here today honoring Jerry Lewis, honoring the legacy of the faculty marshals, we have our students doing what students are so good at, standing up for their rights,鈥 she said.
Lewis, who will turn 88 on April 1, has been retired since 1996 and still resides in the 天天吃瓜 area.
In 2022, 天天吃瓜 State alumnus and former university Board of Trustees member Michael Solomon, a 1974 graduate, donated to endow the Jerry M. Lewis Lecture Series and luncheon to honor Lewis鈥 decades of service to the university community and preserve Lewis鈥 legacy.
A 天天吃瓜 State faculty member is selected annually to give the lecture, based on their research that involves the May 4 Visitors Center and the 天天吃瓜 Libraries鈥 Special Collections and Archives, to advance the scholarship surrounding May 4, its aftermath, or the Vietnam era. The chosen lecturer receives a $2,500 honorarium and presents their talk as part of the May 4 commemoration events.
This year鈥檚 lecture will take place on May 2. Tickets will be available in April, following an announcement of the chosen speaker.
The Lewis exhibit will remain on display through June 3.