Sunday, October 17, 1999
Miami U. to build civil rights memorial
Will honor slain trio who trained at Western
BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD — When Arthur Miller walks near Kumler Chapel at the old Western College for Women, he sees 1964.
He sees the flowers of June, 800 young people sprawling on the grass and the idealism of the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, held on the tranquil campus across from Miami University.
“Most people don't realize that the story behind the film Mississippi Burning started in Oxford,” he said.
At 4:30 p.m. Oct. 26, those days will be remembered with a groundbreaking for a memorial to three slain civil rights activists. The memorial — an outdoor amphitheater classroom — will be built where the activists trained.
“A lot of people in the community have waited years for this to happen,” said Holly Wissing, a Miami spokeswoman. “It will be a very meaningful event.”
Officials also plan to erect an Ohio Bicentennial Commission historical marker on a small hillside near the chapel, across from Peabody Hall, where volunteers attended meetings in the auditorium.
Mr. Miller, a 1949 Miami graduate who went on to work for the school, said the Friends of the Mississippi Summer Project still hope to erect a monument on the site.
“We've collected a little over $10,000 for a monument, to be built at the foot of the park,” he said. “But, in my estimation, it will take $20,000.”
Even in 1964, Oxford seemed an unlikely destination for civil rights workers. But Western College offered its facilities, and the school was conveniently located for those who would leave for the South.
Today, Western's serenity belies the violent end that claimed volunteers Andrew Goodman, 20, and Michael Schwerner, 24, of New York, and James Chaney, 21, of Mississippi.
They left Oxford on June 20 to visit members of a burned-out black church in Mississippi and help register blacks to vote. But they were arrested on a speeding charge in Neshoba County, Miss., held for several hours and released at dark. Six weeks later, their bodies were found in an earthen dam.
Much has happened, culturally and historically, since those days. Western College is now a part of Miami University, which recognizes the historical importance of the events that occurred in Oxford in June 1964.
Miami President James C. Garland said the memorial will be “a perma nent reminder of the ideals and dedication of not only the three slain activists but also all those participating in the historic civil rights summer project.”
With Miami's blessing, all 800 civil rights workers will be recognized with their names on the amphitheater.
“I am very happy to see it come to fruition,” said Mr. Miller, an Oxford NAACP member and one of 60 community volunteers who originally supported the camp. “It has been a while. The young kids of today don't know what went on before them. We need things like this to keep the memories alive. We need to be informed of history.”
To contribute to the monument, send checks to Oxford Friends of the Mississippi Project, Summer '64, First National Bank of Southwestern Ohio, 25 W. High St., Oxford 45056.
'River water in our veins'
Tall Stacks, tall order
Today's Tall Stacks visitors information
Buses solution to traffic headache
Captain's descendants savor connection to river
Mark Twain Cincinnati
Tall Stacks boosts image, coffers
Souvenirs going faster than racing steamboat
Aboard the American Queen
You just can't build a river on short notice
Police kill suspect in scuffle
Hold the pork - council goes on a pre-election diet
Backers: Bike trail would be boon
Couple sells son, 14, on Internet for $400
GET TO IT
Issue 1 could save state money
Judge: E-mail seizures were legal
L.A. Reid: The man behind LaFace
Miami U. to build civil rights memorial
School recruits students for voluntary drug test
Tell that lunkhead to button it, then demand a refund
Gun law is new weapon in jail fight
Young drinkers: Here's what it's like to be an alcoholic
Comic 'Zits' a Nordic hit
For a pacifist, Martin Sheen plays a pretty good president
Area cellist helps Kennedy rock
Bill would manage new development
Chicago theater proves vibrant storytelling sells
Disney on Ice show glides over 75 years
Foes chip away at Patton
Good cultural base here, CCO finalist Yahr says
Growing up in 3-D
Laurel Homes planners hail inclusiveness
Life Skills Center opening on hold
Lt. Gov. won't seek another job
Maysville marvels at bridge
Ohio-made 'Dream Catcher' will premiere locally in Dayton
Radio wit Jean Shepherd dies
BENCHMARKS
TRISTATE DIGEST
Warren Co. cable net considered
