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FlashBack

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This earliest known photo of The Rock appeared in the 1927 Chestnut Burr.
This earliest known photo of The Rock appeared in the 1927 Chestnut Burr. Painted on it are the Greek letters, ā€œEpsilon Theta,ā€ one of seven campus sororities at the time.

ā€˜The Rockā€™ Rocks On!

Painting ā€˜The Rockā€™ is one of Kent Stateā€™s earliestā€”and most lastingā€”campus traditions.

Itā€™s likely that the large boulder received its first coat of paint in 1922, the year that fraternities and sororities were first established at Kent State. And itā€™s been a canvas for expression ever since.

For many years, The Rock rested on the ā€œdevil stripā€ between the sidewalk and Main Street. To accommodate the widening of the street in September 1976, The Rock was moved further back onto the Front Campus, where it remains today.

In celebration of The Rockā€™s 100+ anniversary, multimedia storyteller Phil Soencksen, BS ā€™89, dug deep into the archives and unearthed mentions of its origin and colorfulā€”sometimes controversialā€”presence on the Kent Campus. Read his accounts of its history belowā€”as well as recent coverage in the fall/winter 2020-21 issue of Kent State Magazine.

Read more about the history of The Rock.

Read more about The Rockā€™s location.

Read about The Rockā€™s recent role related to racism and reconciliation.


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POSTED: Monday, November 20, 2023 04:26 PM
Updated: Thursday, November 30, 2023 10:14 AM