KENT STATE GUARDSMEN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
  • The Project
  • The Shootings
  • The Interviews
  • The Reception
  • Dale Antram
  • Keith Crilow
  • Jerry Damerow
  • William Herthneck
  • Jeffrey Jones
  • Art Krummel
  • Mathew McManus
  • Michael Peters
  • Raymond Silvey
  • Robert Hatfield
  • Ronald Snyder
  • Karl Brenneman


    • J. Ronald Snyder: 
      Snyder served in the Ohio National Guard for 18 years, starting in the 1950s. By 1970, he had attained the rank of Captain in the Guard while he worked full-time as an investigator for the Summit County coroner's office. At the time of the 13-second volley of gunfire, his unit was near the scene but out of sight because of campus buildings. Snyder has given more interviews about the Kent State shooting than any other former Guardsman. He currently lives in Rootstown and still works part-time as a security guard at Kent State.


      Full Interview

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Snyder, pictured here at Kent State in May 1970, has been interviewed numerous times for various reasons in regards to his connection to the infamous shootings.
May 4 Oral History Project (2007)
Plain Dealer 40th anniversary feature (2010)
CBS News story on Ferguson unrest (2014)
CNN special "Witnessed: The Killings at Kent State" (2014)
PBS documentary The Day the '60s Died (2015)

Akron Beacon Journal 50th anniversary feature (2020)
AARP website 50th anniversary feature (2020)
 
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Ron Snyder, a 32-year old Captain at the time of the Kent State shootings, says he received several letters of support from various individuals in the aftermath of the event. He says a church even sent him some money to defer costs associated with legal proceedings.
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During the course of the interview, a student references this 1975 article regarding Snyder's testimony.
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  • The Project
  • The Shootings
  • The Interviews
  • The Reception
  • Dale Antram
  • Keith Crilow
  • Jerry Damerow
  • William Herthneck
  • Jeffrey Jones
  • Art Krummel
  • Mathew McManus
  • Michael Peters
  • Raymond Silvey
  • Robert Hatfield
  • Ronald Snyder
  • Karl Brenneman