The Rock | |
---|---|
Completion date | May 30, 1873 |
Medium | Jasper conglomerate rock covered in household paint |
Condition | Regularly repainted with messages |
Location | East Lansing, Michigan |
42°43′41″N84°28′39″W / 42.728088°N 84.477558°W | |
Owner | Michigan State University |
The Rock is a large pudding stone on the campus of Michigan State University, which has been painted with messages by campus groups since the 1960s. Unearthed in 1873, and installed on the campus by the class of 1873, the Rock became known as a site for engaged and married couples in the 1910s. Nicknamed the "Engagement Rock" in the 20th century, its purpose shifted in the 1960s and 1970s when graffiti began to appear on it for protest and promotional purposes.
The university's efforts to remove the paint in the late 1970s failed, and the painting of the Rock continued. The university recognized the tradition of painting the Rock in the 1980s, and moved it to a location more suitable for painting in 1985. Since then, the Rock has been repainted overnight on a regular basis with messages from individuals and campus organizations. Most messages are painted over nightly, but some messages have remained for longer: in 2014, a tribute to 8-year-old cancer victim Lacey "Princess Lacey" Holsworth remained in place for weeks, and a memorial to the 2023 Michigan State University shooting remained for months.
A large pudding stone was unearthed in May 1873 near the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Michigan Avenue in East Lansing, a site nicknamed the "Delta." The senior class of 1873 took interest in the stone, and they appealed to the Faculty-Academic Senate for permission to place the stone on a lawn at the college. Their request was granted, and on May 24, 1873, the seniors were excused from class to move the stone. The stone was moved across campus to a forested plot of land known as the "Sacred Space," the present-day location of Beaumont Tower. A team of 20 oxen was required to move the stone. [1] [2] The stone was heavy enough to sink into the ground again that night, although no record exists of the stone's weight. [3] [4]
The stone was again unearthed, and a member of the senior class carved "Class '73" into the large flat face of the stone. The initial carving was misspelled, and the corrections to the carving make the text off-center. The stone was officially dedicated on May 30, 1873. [4]
A bench was added in front of the Rock in the late 1910s, which became a popular destination for engaged and married couples. The Rock was also known as the "class rock" in the early 20th century, [5] and as the "Engagement Rock" in the mid-20th century, due to the number of marriage proposals that occurred there. [2] [6] The Rock was covered in ivy for decades, with photographs from the 1890s through the 1960s showing ivy growth on the left side of the rock nearly covering the "Class '73" inscription. [4]
The Rock was first painted in the 1960s, and personal and political messages soon began appearing regularly. The university did not approve of the painting, and expended significant resources to sandblast the graffiti off of the Rock. In an attempt to stop the painting, the university planned to move the Rock to a new location in front of the university police department before the start of the Fall 1977 term. Heavy rains delayed the plan, and the Rock was moved on September 23, 1977, while classes were in session. A crowd of students gathered and protested the move, and the university moved the Rock back to its original location outside Beaumont Tower the same day. [2] [4]
The university administration concluded that they could not stop the painting, and the Rock was moved to its current location in September 1985. The Rock's current location on Farm Lane at the Red Cedar River is in a clearing, addressing the university's concerns about paint damaging trees and sidewalks near the Beaumont Tower site. [4]
The Rock is painted nearly daily, leaving new paint little time to dry. As a result, large pieces of paint have fallen off the Rock, revealing the layers of paint. In one instance, the MSU surplus property department donated pieces of the paint to local jeweler Mel Swartz, who began making jewelry from the material in 2016. Swartz dried the paint in the sun for a year before working on it, making it similar to Fordite, an accumulation of layered and cured paint produced in automotive manufacturing. [7] Another artwork inspired by the Rock is Pet Rock (2001) by MSU alumnus Jon Anthony, a 25-foot-long (7.6 m) long abstract oil painting depicting the layers of paint on the Rock. Pet Rock has been shown at the Kresge Art Museum, and is currently displayed in MSU's Wells Hall. [8] [9]
Any interested party can paint the Rock, and tradition holds that it may only be painted under the cover of night. The Lansing State Journal summarizes the rules as such: "1. Anyone can paint it. 2. But they really should paint it only at night. 3. If you're not standing guard over what you painted, see Rule 1." Messages include personal remarks, political statements, memorials, and promotions of campus organizations such as fraternities. The Rock is often repainted nightly, but some messages have remained in place for longer periods, commemorating notable events in the university's history. [1]
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Rock was repainted with a memorial that included a large American flag. The 9/11 memorial remained in place for a week after the attacks, and was expanded to include a number of flags planted in the open grassy space that the Rock sits in. [10]
The Rock was the site of a weeks-long tribute to 8-year-old cancer victim Lacey "Princess Lacey" Holsworth in 2014. Holsworth befriended MSU basketball forward Adreian Payne during her cancer treatment at Sparrow Hospital, and her story gained national media attention as the Spartans basketball team advanced during the 2014 March Madness tournament. Following Holsworth's death on April 8, 2014, the Rock became a tribute to her, with handwritten messages left by the MSU community, including Payne and longtime MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo. With the magnitude of Holsworth's death, some argued for the Rock to become a permanent memorial, including MSU graduate and Detroit News sports writer Tony Paul. [11] The memorial to Holsworth remained on the Rock until April 21. [10] Payne died in 2022 at the age of 31, and following his death, the Rock was repainted to read "Adreian + Lacey: together again." [12] [13]
Shortly after a mass shooting on February 13, 2023 that killed 3 MSU students and wounded 5, the Rock was painted black with the text "How many more?" and "Stay Safe MSU." [14] On February 15, the message had been painted over to show a message apparently supporting gun rights. The gun-rights message was replaced the same day with a memorial to the three deceased victims. [15] The same day, the university commissioned Madison Heights-based muralist Anthony Lee to create a more permanent memorial. Lee's artwork included the Spartan logo and the message "Always a Spartan. Brian. Arielle. Alexandria." The artwork by Lee was the centerpiece of a long-running memorial at the site, which remained on the Rock until July 2023, the longest-running message to date. [16] [17]
The Rock is a large glacial erratic, deposited in East Lansing by a receding glacier during the late Pleistocene era. It is estimated to have been deposited in East Lansing 18,000 years before its discovery. [1]
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital of Lansing, East Lansing is well known as the home of Michigan State University. The city is part of the Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area.
Michigan State University is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the country. After the introduction of the Morrill Act in 1862, the state designated the college a land-grant institution in 1863, making it the first of the land-grant colleges in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1870. Today, Michigan State has facilities all across the state and over 634,000 alumni.
The Red Cedar River is a 51.1-mile-long (82.2 km) river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river, which is a tributary of the Grand River in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, drains a watershed of approximately 461 square miles (1,190 km2) in the Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area and suburban and rural areas to the east. The river flows through the campus of Michigan State University, and is considered a cultural symbol of the school, including being mentioned in the school's fight song.
Sparty is the mascot of Michigan State University. Sparty is usually depicted as a muscular male Spartan warrior/athlete dressed in stylized Greek costume. After changing the team name from "Aggies" to "Spartans" in 1925, various incarnations of a Spartan warrior with a prominent chin appeared at university events and in university literature. In 1943, MSU art professor Leonard D. Jungwirth designed a statue for the university, which had to be cast in terra cotta because of World War II rationing. In 2005, the university replaced Jungwirth's original statue with a bronze replica, moving the original indoors to protect it from the elements.
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The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began pushing for the arena in 1969. It is home to the Michigan State Spartans men's and women's basketball teams. Although it nominally contains 16,280 seats, the arena typically holds around 10,000 for most events depending on the floor or stage setup. The Breslin Center superseded Jenison Fieldhouse, which stands approximately 400 feet (120 m) to the northeast, which had served since 1939. In 2022 the women's volleyball team moved its home games from Jenison to the Breslin Center.
Notable Michigan State University student riots occurred during the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). The most recent riot occurred in 2021.
Pere Marquette 1225 is a class "N-1" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in October 1941 for the Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) in Lima, Ohio. No. 1225 is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 locomotives, the other being 1223, which was on display at the Tri-Cities Historical Society near the ex-Grand Trunk Western (GTW) coaling tower in Grand Haven, Michigan, and both have the distinction of being the only surviving Pere Marquette steam locomotives left in preservation. No. 1225 was well known to be the basis for the locomotive used in the 2004 film The Polar Express, earning itself the nickname "The Real Polar Express."
The history of Michigan State University dates back to 1855, when the Michigan Legislature established the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan under the encouragement of the Michigan State Agricultural Society and the Michigan Farmer, the state's leading agricultural periodical. As the first agricultural college in the United States, the school served as a model for other institutions of its kind established in the period, to give an instance, the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania.
The campus of Michigan State University is located in East Lansing on the banks of the Red Cedar River, and comprises a contiguous area of 5,200 acres (21 km2), 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of which are developed. Built amid virgin forest, the campus opened in 1855 with three buildings, none of which remain. As an agricultural college, the campus was originally located several miles outside of the city of Lansing, but as the population of the college grew, the city of East Lansing developed just north of the area's main avenue.
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision for football. The Spartans participate as members of the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports. Michigan State offers 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is the public transit operator serving the Lansing, Michigan area, including service on the campus of Michigan State University. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,082,200.
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won two NCAA championships and 16 Big Ten Championships. Their home games are played at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Tom Izzo has been the head coach since 1995.
The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University (MSU). The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The Spartans have won the NCAA national championship three times. The current head coach is Adam Nightingale, who took over coaching duties on May 3, 2022, after Danton Cole was fired. Michigan State currently competes in the Big Ten Conference.
The 2012–13 Michigan State Spartans represented Michigan State University in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Izzo who was in his 18th year. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI and were members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished with a record of 27–9, 13–5 to finish in a tie for second place in Big Ten play. The Spartans lost in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament to Ohio State. MSU received a bid to the NCAA tournament for the 16th straight year where they reached the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive year, losing to Duke.
The 2013–14 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2013–14 college basketball season. The Spartans, led by 19th-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season with a record of 29–9, 12–6 to finish in a tie for second place in Big Ten play. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans defeated Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Michigan to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, MSU's 17th straight trip. As the No. 4 seed in the East region, they defeated Delaware, Harvard, and No. 1-seeded Virginia to reach the Elite Eight where they lost to eventual National Champion, UConn. The loss marked the first time in Tom Izzo's career that a player who played four years for Izzo had failed to reach a Final Four.
Adreian DeAngleo Payne was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic as well as for several European and Asian teams. Payne played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.
The 2016–17 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 22nd-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference.
On Monday, February 13, 2023, a mass shooting occurred in two buildings on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing. Three students were killed and five others injured. The gunman, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound when he was confronted by police off campus three hours later.
The Rock is a boulder in Ann Arbor, Michigan, near the campus of the University of Michigan. The Rock was installed in 1932 at the personal direction of Eli Gallup, longtime Ann Arbor parks superintendent and namesake of Gallup Park. The Rock was initially placed in honor of George Washington's 200th birthday, and the small triangular parcel holding the rock was officially named George Washington Park in 1993. The Rock was first painted in the 1950s, and continues to be repainted regularly by students and the general public.