Sandra Scheuer
Encyclopedia
Sandra Lee Scheuer was a student at Kent State University
in Kent
, Ohio
, when she was killed by Ohio National Guard
smen in the Kent State shootings
.
Scheuer, born in Youngstown, Ohio
, was an honors student in speech therapy. She was a graduate of Boardman High School
. She did not take part in the Vietnam War
protest
s that preceded the shootings. She was shot through the throat with an M-1
rifle from a distance of 130 yards (119 m) while walking between classes and died within five or six minutes from loss of blood
. According to the account of Bruce Burkland, a close family friend, Scheuer "was walking with one of her speech and hearing therapy students across the green. Neither Sandra nor the young man had anything to do with the assembly of students on the green." Three other unarmed students were also killed in the shootings: Allison Krause
, Jeffrey Miller
, and William Knox Schroeder
.
The shootings led to protests and a national student strike
, causing hundreds of campuses to close because of both violent and non-violent demonstrations. The Kent State campus remained closed for six weeks. Five days after the shootings, 100,000 people demonstrated in Washington, D.C.
, against the war.
Scheuer had been a member of the Alpha Xi Delta
sorority, and current members of this sorority speak in her memory each year on the Kent State University campus at the May 4 Task Force's commemoration of the 1970 tragedy.
Just after Scheuer's death, the English songwriter Harvey Andrews
composed a song titled "Hey Sandy", whose lyrics are addressed to her:
In the song "Ohio", which was written immediately after the shootings, folk rocker Neil Young
made a reference to Scheuer through the eyes of Tom Grace who was walking with her to her next class. Grace was also wounded from an ankle shot. In the chorus:
Scheuer is also remembered in Canadian poet Gary Geddes
' poem "Sandra Lee Scheuer", found in his 1980 collection The Acid Test.
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
in Kent
Kent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, when she was killed by Ohio National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
smen in the Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
.
Scheuer, born in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, was an honors student in speech therapy. She was a graduate of Boardman High School
Boardman High School (Mahoning County, Ohio)
Boardman High School is a public high school in Boardman, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Boardman Local School District. The first high school, located on Market Street, is now Boardman Center Middle School. In 1969, the new high school was built on Glenwood Ave...
. She did not take part in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s that preceded the shootings. She was shot through the throat with an M-1
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
rifle from a distance of 130 yards (119 m) while walking between classes and died within five or six minutes from loss of blood
Exsanguination
Exsanguination is the fatal process of hypovolemia , to a degree sufficient enough to cause death. One does not have to lose literally all of one's blood to cause death...
. According to the account of Bruce Burkland, a close family friend, Scheuer "was walking with one of her speech and hearing therapy students across the green. Neither Sandra nor the young man had anything to do with the assembly of students on the green." Three other unarmed students were also killed in the shootings: Allison Krause
Allison Krause
Allison B. Krause was an honor student at Kent State University, Ohio, when she was shot and killed by the Ohio Army National Guard in the Kent State Massacre, while protesting the invasion of Cambodia and the presence of the National Guard on the Kent State campus...
, Jeffrey Miller
Jeffrey Miller
Jeffrey Glenn Miller was a student at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, when he was shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen in the Kent State shootings....
, and William Knox Schroeder
William Knox Schroeder
William Knox Schroeder was a student at Kent State University, Ohio, when he was killed by Ohio National Guardsmen in the Kent State shootings....
.
The shootings led to protests and a national student strike
Student Strike of 1970
In the aftermath of the American Invasion of Cambodia on April 30, 1970, four students were killed at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 in Ohio, as well as two students at Jackson State College in Mississippi on May 14/15...
, causing hundreds of campuses to close because of both violent and non-violent demonstrations. The Kent State campus remained closed for six weeks. Five days after the shootings, 100,000 people demonstrated in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, against the war.
Scheuer had been a member of the Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893 at Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. Alpha Xi Delta is one of the oldest women's fraternities as well as one of the ten founding fraternities of the National Panhellenic Conference...
sorority, and current members of this sorority speak in her memory each year on the Kent State University campus at the May 4 Task Force's commemoration of the 1970 tragedy.
Just after Scheuer's death, the English songwriter Harvey Andrews
Harvey Andrews
Harvey John Andrews is an English singer, songwriter, and poet.-Career:From 1964, Andrews supported his nascent career as a singer/songwriter by working as a schoolteacher, before becoming a full-time professional musician in 1966.Harvey Andrews has produced 17 successful albums singing his own...
composed a song titled "Hey Sandy", whose lyrics are addressed to her:
- "Did you see them turn, did you feel the burn
- Of the bullets as they flew?"
In the song "Ohio", which was written immediately after the shootings, folk rocker Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
made a reference to Scheuer through the eyes of Tom Grace who was walking with her to her next class. Grace was also wounded from an ankle shot. In the chorus:
- "What if you knew her,
- And found her dead on the ground?
- How can you run when you know?"
Scheuer is also remembered in Canadian poet Gary Geddes
Gary Geddes
-Biography:He spent four years of his childhood on the Canadian prairies, but otherwise remained on the west coast until 1963, where he got his Bachelor’s Degree in English and Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. Geddes received his M.A. and Ph.D. in English at the University of...
' poem "Sandra Lee Scheuer", found in his 1980 collection The Acid Test.
Further reading
- Jedick, Peter (2006). "Rawls' Death Brings Back Sad Memory." Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), February 13, 2006, D3.