The above quote is from Bill Friedman (Class of 1996). Read the full memory below:

I would estimate that I probably spent 30 percent of my time at Brown in the Rockefeller Library. I was never someone who could productively study with all the distractions in the dorms—so almost every day—I would march over to “The Rock”—and a routine was born.

On days when I had no exam for which to prepare—I would bunker in the 2nd Floor reading room—typically leaving my books at a table near the windows and then set up shop in those great green recliner chairs that faced the window. I would read (and nap) there almost every day. I often wonder if those chairs are still there, or if they exist somewhere else on campus. I would love to buy one!

On the days when I had an exam to prepare for that required maximum focus—I would head to the 2nd basement level (no windows!)—the back corner desk—and always use the same two books off the shelf to help me cover up the notes on my outlines that I wanted to memorize. My routine was so well known to my friends, that often if they wanted to find me—they would check one of these two locations (remember – we had no cell phones or email!).

The final component of my “Rock Routine” was to read the sports pages in the ground level newspaper room—with the papers hanging from those long wooden rods. I would venture a guess that not too many people read the Providence Journal (and other) sports pages as often as I did in my four years! Sad to think that these days, people would laugh about reading the hard copy of the paper on those wooden rods.

Hard to believe it has been almost 20 years since I last employed my routine—but I take heart knowing those long hours in the Rockefeller Library were where I developed the work ethic that has helped me find my way after I left Providence. Whenever I’m blessed to be on campus, I always make a pilgrimage to The Rock and reflect fondly on the scores of hours I spent there.