Bridge Over Troubled Waters Campus Connections

The Bridge Over Troubled Waters sculpture appears to be opening up in its connections to the May 1970 protest murders. The welded beads that write out its dedication, pictured above, have opened up connections with in and out side of Ohio. The statue was designed by Donald Drumm, the first artist in residence at BGSU. Drumm's work is most prominent around campus when looing at his 7 story work that cover the Jerome Library. According to the Kent State library Drumm had a 14 foot statue that was shot when the National Guard fired into a group of students killing 4 on the campus on May 4th 1970. Bridge Over Troubled Waters is made from the same metal that Drumm used to create the still standing and bullet hole marked sculpture on the Kent State campus. Ten days Later police opened fire on dorms at Jackson State a HBCU in Mississippi. This event has largely been forgotten in history. In keeping with the national norm the Sculpture is first referred to in the BG News on August 6th 1970.  "DONALD DRUMM, University artist in residence, has entitled his newest project "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." It is a memorial to the students killed at Kent State University and Jackson State College during the campus disorders this spring. The art work is located between the Centrex Building and Kohl Hall." The paper states in a brief remark on page 4. However, in keeping with the master narative of forgetting the police killings on the Jackson State Campus the BG News writes on September 24th of 1970, less than 5 months after the killings "BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED Waters" is Donald Drumms artist in residence, title for the contemporary sculpture commerating the Kent State Four. It is located behind the Centrex Building." On page 5.

We are working through more research but this sculpture has direct material ties to Kent State and appears to be on of few memorials that include Jackson State we can find. Neither Kent State not Jackson State make refernce towards the statues partial dedication to the slain Jackson State students.

For futher information follow the link to the Kent State Library or the NPR article that lays out the negation of the Jackson State Two from the historical record.
https://www.library.kent.edu/special-collections-and-archives/bridge-over-troubled-waters

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126426361