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, and the sculpture was constructed by institute participants, industrial arts teachers from across the United States who came to Kent for the six-week program. Institute director William Bates said Cor-Ten steel was selected because as it ages it forms a protective coating and will not fail because of rust. On May 4, 1970, Solar Totem #1 became one of the iconic symbols of Kent State history when its steel was pierced by a bullet from a National Guardsman's rifle. Drumm said he was sorry that all the bullets did not 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.