The above quote is from Anne Goodale Kemerer (Class of 1979). Read the full memory below:
My biggest memory of the Rock is not the interior, but the fact that the forsythia planted out front were always the first harbinger of spring on campus. I particularly remember after the awful blizzard of ’78, passing the Rock one day and seeing the first forsythia buds, and being absolutely filled with joy that spring was here!
The above quote is from Janet Levin Hawk (Class of 1967). Read the full memory below:
Dave and I were freshmen the year Brown celebrated its Bicentennial and we were proud of the shiny, expensive new “Rock.” Much of our time together over the next four years was spent in study dates—in reading rooms or back-to-back carrels in the stacks. Mid-evening, we allowed ourselves a break for refreshment and a short game of pool in Faunce House.
Somewhere, deep in the belly of the Rock, I believe there is even a mouldering undergraduate thesis with my name on it!
We Pembrokers were not permitted to wear trousers, pants—or God forbid—jeans on the Brown campus. We felt daring, flaunting the system by running over to the library wearing our buttoned and belted raincoats over—our underwear!
During my sophomore year “pulling an all nighter” was the cool, “in” thing to do. MIne ended with red eyes, a poorly written paper, and fainting on the steps of the Rock the following morning. I remained unapologetically UN-cool for the rest of my time at Brown.
Fond memories as Dave and I approach our 50th reunion in 2017—and our 50th anniversary as well!
The above quote is from Nancy Weissman (Class of 1980). Read the full memory below:
In 1979, I was assigned a carrel on the third floor of the Rock where I researched and wrote my honors thesis on medieval Italian social history. A major benefit was being able to check books out to the carrel. Another was the view across Prospect Street to the Green behind Slater, which refreshed my mind when creativity stalled. Recently I returned, and could not be sure which was mine, despite the many, many times I wrote the carrel’s address on book request slips.
I much preferred the Rock to the Sci Li for study. The building’s larger footprint meant that there was a higher level of background noise, so I wasn’t easily distracted by the doors to the stairwells opening and closing, and only by that one silly student from the class of 1982 who clip clopped around the floor in her clogs, like a little hoover animal. Did she ever study? Graduate? at least she had a lot of friends to visit, which is decidedly part of being at the Rock.
The second floor reading room, overlooking the city, was the best place to read unassigned books, like fiction after exams were over. The swivel chairs by the windows were also excellent places to nap, usually unintentionally.
The above quote is from Mario J. Sturla (Class of 2003). Read the full memory below:
Spent the majority of my senior year researching, writing, and re-editing my senior honors history thesis entitled The Forgotten Colony: Spanish Colonial Challenges on the Island of Hispaniola. The Rock was my home and I did more learning at the Rock than probably any other location.
The above quote is from Erik Berg (Class of 2013). Read the full memory below:
I’ll remember how intimidatingly quiet it could be in there studying on the weekend but also how you could find a cozy spot somewhere with a beautiful view of Providence and sit down to read. It allowed you to really focus plus come midterms and finals everyone was there!
The above quote is from Adam F Chase (Class of 1985). Read the full memory below:
The Rock was my rock for all four years at Brown, particularly in my senior year as I wrote my history thesis. I remember almost disappearing into one of the hidden desks against a window and losing all track of time. On the flip side entering the main card catalog room was awesome and a place to see friends and come out of hibernation. In some ways, for me the Rock was one of the centers of my life at Brown.
The above quote is from Molly Brannan (Class of 2006). Read the full memory below:
I loved studying in the Absolute Quiet Room. If you turned a page too loudly, you’d get nasty looks from other students.
The above quote is from Tynan Wyatt (Class of 2005). Read the full memory below:
I remember looking forward to the forsythia blooming every late Winter/Spring. I would detour away from the stairs just to walk over the handicap ramp that was like a bridge over yellow happiness.
The above quote is from Ariel Werner (Class of 2009). Read the full memory below:
At the beginning of my senior year, I signed up for a carrel, a spot in the Rock where I could escape from my lively home and spirited housemates to write my honors thesis. I thought I had picked the perfect spot: near the books I needed and facing West to watch the sun set over Providence. But the first time I sat down to work, I turned to my right and saw—all the way down a long aisle of books—my silliest roommate. He had inadvertently chosen a carrel directly across from mine on the East side of the building. Every time I turned right, I saw him, and every time he turned left, he saw me. So much for a refuge.
The above quote is from William D. Brisbane (Class of 1966). Read the full memory below:
In the transition from the John Hay to the Rock I found a special place where I could study away from the hubbub of the dorm and later the frat house. I remember too first hearing about JFK’s being killed as I was leaving the Rock that fateful day.