Kent in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Solar Totem #1
Don Drumm 1967
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025
1. Solar Totem #1 Marker
Solar Totem #1 was constructed on campus in the summer of 1967 as part of a National Defense Education Act "Creativity in Industrial Arts" institute.
The project was coordinated by Akron artist and Kent State alumnus Don Drumm, '56. Participants of the instituteindustrial arts teachers from all over the United States brought to Kent for the six-week programconstructed the sculpture.
The director of the institute William Bates said, Cor-Ten steel was selected for the project because as this material ages, it forms a protective coating and will not fail because of rust one day.
On May 4, 1970, Solar Totem #1 became one of the iconic symbols of Kent State history as its steel was pierced by a bullet from a National Guardsman's rifle.
Drumm said, I'm sorry that all the bullets didn't go into the sculpture instead of hitting the students.
The sculpture is now part of the 17.4 acre site recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, Vietnam. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1970.
Location. 41° 9.003′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Thomas M. Grace 163 ft (a few steps from this marker); 4 Dead and 9 Wounded (a few steps from this marker); Alan Canfora 176 ft (a few steps from this marker); Practice Field: End of the Advance / Thirteen Seconds (within shouting distance of this marker); Kent State University (within shouting distance of this marker); Kent State Shootings Memorial (within shouting
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025
2. Solar Totem #1
Solar Totem #1 stands in front of Taylor Hall on Kent State's campus. A marker dedicated to one of the wounded students is visible in front of the monument.
Also see . . . Heart of Steel. <blockquote>When he designed the piece, known as Solar Totem #1, his plan was for the artwork to change with the movement of the sun, the 100 or so steel plates perpetually throwing shadows this way and that.
As it turned out, Solar Totem #1 is an ever-changing piece of art, but not in the way Mr. Drumm intended. Every spring, the sculpture is adorned with daffodils from Blanket Hill. Occasionally, the piece is embellished with candle wax from prayer vigils, and often, it gets marked with notes in chalk demanding remembrance and peace.
Mr. Drumm heartily approves of these contributions to his artwork. But there is one thing he insists never be changed.
I have let it be known to different people that I do not want that hole ever welded closed, Mr. Drumm said. And nobody has ever asked me to. (Submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025
3. Solar Totem #1 Bullet Hole
The bullet hole that pierced Solar Totem has since become an international symbol of protest and peace. Each May, fresh chalk markings memorialize the event.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 424 times since then and 128 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
