Finding aid for the Akron Beacon Journal Kent State Shootings collection

History of the Akron Beacon Journal

Founded in 1839, the Akron Beacon Journal is a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that serves readers in Summit, Medina, Portage, Stark and Wayne counties. As of July 2023, the Beacon Journal is owned by GateHouse Media. The Beacon Journal earned national recognition and its first Pulitzer for coverage of the Kent State shootings in 1970, which was coordinated by editor Pat Englehart.

Scope and Content

This collection is comprised of reports from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation on the Kent State shootings and surrounding events. The Ohio State Highway Patrol records include inter-office correspondence, autopsy reports of the victims, and notes pertaining to the investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation records include various reports from agents assigned to investigating the shootings. The FBI records comprise an earlier draft of the final copy of the report. While the original FBI and State Highway Patrol documents were produced from 1969-1983, the copies obtained and annotated by the Beacon Journal in this collection most likely date from after 1980.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Information included in this collection is restricted due to the presence of information protected by privacy laws. This collection was originally retained for Akron Beacon Journal research.

The FBI report is available
online. Additionally, the Ohio State Highway Patrol's investigation is available to access at
Ohio History Connection or selections have been made available to view
online.

Subject Headings

The following subjects are found in this collection:

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Preferred Citation

Akron Beacon Journal Kent State Shootings collection. May 4 Collection. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.

Acquisition Information

The materials in this collection were received by the Akron Beacon Journal from the U.S. Department of Justice in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. The collection was transferred to Kent State University by the Akron Beacon Journal in 2008.

Processing Information

This collection originally contained sticky notes with handwritten research notes by Akron Beacon Journal staff members. Due to preservation, we have removed the original sticky notes and have created copies in their place. When applicable, copies of the sticky notes are located at the front of each folder and contain the page number in which the original sticky note was located.

Detailed Description of The Collection