My younger brother John Cleary has a special relationship with the 2 dates of May 4th and May 5th. 50 years ago on May 4, 1970 a surgeon saved his life after he was shot at Kent State as an observer of the protests. He found himself displayed in a haunting photo on the cover of Life Magazine. John returned to Kent State, graduated and became an architect in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His wish is for new generations of students to never forget the historical importance of what occurred that day.
John was asked to write a chapter in the book “The Cost of Freedom.”
John was also interviewed by CBS which aired the week-end before May 4, 2020 just days before another surgery 50 years later on May 5th for his pancreatic cancer.
On May 5, 2020 the surgery preformed proved successful and John is home getting his strength back, gaining weight getting stronger to fight 6 more rounds of chemotherapy beginning the end of June. This article will run in the Pittsburg Gazette and was placed yesterday on their website. May 4th and May 5th are definitely days of celebration for John. His steadfast faith, wife and family make all the difference in the quality of life John lives. We are all grateful to the surgeons who saved John’s life twice.
“The miraculous thing is that miracles do happen.”
Joesphenine Pinckney
