Dow Demonstration Memories

press release: Fifty years ago, everyday life on the UW-Madison campus came to an abrupt halt for many students.

On Oct. 18, 1967, a sit-in against the Dow Chemical Company erupted into violence as Madison police officers in riot gear forcibly removed antiwar demonstrators from the Commerce Building, now known as Ingraham Hall. Thousands became caught up in the ensuing melee, some as active participants, others as spectators and bystanders.

Many lives would change - activists were born, political allegiances shifted, career paths flipped.

The clash propelled UW-Madison to the forefront of the growing movement against the Vietnam War. The protest is considered the first antiwar demonstration on a major U.S. campus to turn violent, and it was the first time police used tear gas at UW-Madison.

Fifty years later, UW-Madison asked six alumni to reflect on how the Dow protests altered their lives. Their memories anchor "A Turning Point," an original multimedia web project by University Communications and University Marketing that explores and documents the momentous time. The project can be found at 1967.wisc.edu.

The university also is marking the 50th anniversary with a public history project. UW-Madison Libraries and Madison Public Library are partnering to gather stories from those who experienced the Dow demonstrations. Recording stations will be set up at the Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 18 and 19. Community members are invited to drop in and share their memories.

"The events of October 1967 left a lasting impact on both the campus and the wider community," says Troy Reeves, head of the oral history program at UW Archives. "The students' experiences helped shape the campus antiwar culture throughout the remainder of the 1960s and into the next decade. Ensuring that these stories are captured for the future is not only about preserving history, but helping to understand the impact it has had on the present and will have on the future."

In total, the multimedia project incorporates the experiences of 18 alumni, including two friends - John Wolf and Heiner Giese - who spent the day photographing the Dow protest as neutral observers. Their compelling photos, never before published, provide many of the project's visuals. In a video shot this summer, the two revisit the Commerce Building, now Ingraham Hall.

The views of those quoted in the project span the spectrum, from strongly antiwar to supportive of the Vietnam War and Dow. The company made napalm, a highly flammable gel used on the battlefield by the U.S. military. By early 1967, students were regularly targeting Dow's recruitment efforts on campus.