ñProfessor Emeritus Jerry M. Lewis to be Honored By May 4 Lecture Series
A lecture series has been created to honor the legacy of ñ Professor Emeritus of Sociology Jerry M. Lewis, Ph.D., and advance the scholarship of May 4, 1970, and the Vietnam War era.
A current resident of Hudson, Ohio, Lewis taught at ñfrom 1966 until 2013, becoming Professor Emeritus in 1996. Serving as a faculty marshal in 1970, he witnessed the May 4, 1970, shootings firsthand and has since devoted time to researching, memorializing and lecturing on the events of May 4. In 1971 with the help of students, Lewis established the first candlelight walk and vigil, an annual event that begins 11 p.m. on May 3 and continues until 12:24 p.m. on May 4, the time of the shootings. Lewis was one of the four co-authors of the application to add the May 4 site to the National Register of Historic Places, which was approved in February 2010.
He comments that "the Lewis lectures will allow the ñfaculty member the opportunity to present his or her scholarship results in a supportive environment."
A defining accomplishment of his career was “ñand May 4: A Social Science Perspective,” a volume edited with Thomas Hensley, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Kent State. The book stresses the importance of social science theory and methods in the study of May 4. Lewis and Raymond Adamek, Ph.D., co-authored several of the articles in the edited volume, which is now in its third edition.
The lecture series honoring Lewis, made possible through a generous donation from ñalumnus and former ñBoard of Trustees member Michael Solomon, a 1974 graduate, will be cross-disciplinary in nature. Faculty members from all ñdepartments are eligible to submit proposals, and those who are selected to give a lecture will receive an honorarium.
"I chose to endow this speaker series in honor of the decades of contributions that Dr. Jerry Lewis has made to the community of ñ," Solomon said. "Dr. Lewis played a critical role in saving lives on May 4, 1970, as a faculty marshal. Since that tragic day in American history, Dr. Lewis has been a key proponent of learning lessons of human value from this event. Getting to know him for these last many years inspired me to preserve his legacy at ñover time."
ñDean of University Libraries Ken Burhanna will lead a group of ñfaculty and administrators in soliciting and reviewing proposals before selecting a lecturer each year. An important component to the lecture will be research involving the May 4 Visitors Center and the ñ Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives.
The deadline to submit proposals for the 2026 Jerry M. Lewis May 4 lecture is Friday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. The lecture is tentatively scheduled to take place on May 1, 2026.