Bruce W. Klunder

Bruce W. Klunder
Klunder in 1954
Born(1937-07-12)July 12, 1937
DiedApril 7, 1964(1964-04-07) (aged 26)
Cause of deathCrushed to death
Resting placeChurch of the Covenant, Cleveland, Ohio[1]
Education
Occupation(s)Minister, activist
Years active1955–64
OrganizationCongress of Racial Equality
MovementCivil rights movement
SpouseJoanne Lehman[1]
Children2

Bruce W. Klunder (July 12, 1937 – April 7, 1964[1]) was an American Presbyterian minister and civil rights activist. He died when he was run over by a bulldozer while protesting the construction of a segregated school in Cleveland, Ohio.[2] Klunder graduated in science from Oregon State University in 1958.[3][4] While attending the school, he met his future wife, Joanne Lehman. The couple married on December 22, 1956. He earned his Bachelor of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1961. After college, Klunder and his wife moved to Cleveland where he was hired as assistant executive secretary of the Student Christian Union at Western Reserve University. He quickly became involved in the city's civil rights fight.[5] He had a passionate interest in civil rights, headed the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and led a restaurant sit-in in Sewanee, Tennessee, in 1962. He and his wife had two young children at the time.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d "Klunder, Bruce W.". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. July 17, 1997. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Heuser, Fred. "Stories from Our Past: Presbyterians and the Struggle for Civil Rights" (PDF). Presbyterian Church USA. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  3. ^ Staff (April 8, 1964). "Demonstration Victim Former OSU Student". Corvallis Gazette-Times. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Klunder, Bruce W." Case Western Publishing. January 31, 2019. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "We Are Dedicated". Time. April 17, 1964. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.