THE FAMOUS ROCK OF MONROE HIGH SCHOOL 1972

The story of the Rock goes back a very long time ago when life was simpler and less complicated. Neal Thurber and I were very good friends who spent many hours together living and sailing on Lake Erie. These were some of my most memorable times growing up. We knew that things were going to change for us in the coming year with graduation looming on the horizon. We both thought we needed to do something to memorialize the Class of 1972.

I don’t remember if it was Neal or myself that came up with the idea of placing a Rock “monument” at MHS. Neal definitely took charge and went to France Stone Company on Dunbar Road and somehow convinced them to give us a large limestone boulder. Neal then went to Trout’s Yacht Basin in Bolles Harbor and borrowed an old trailer to transport the sacred Rock. Everything was set for the Eve of Homecoming Night 1971.

Neal with the use of his family’s station wagon and the trailer showed up at the Fifth Street side of MHS, backed over the curb and into the yard to a group of co-conspirators (roughly 22 people) waiting to unload the Rock. Working together we wrestled it off the trailer and the rest as they say is history.

As far as who was there for the delivery of the Rock and why, well it was fun to listen and recall the why at the Reenactment that was held the week of our 50thReunion in August 2022. There were only a handful of people who knew the delivery of the Rock was happening. The consensus was the most participants just happened upon the scene and assisted with the Rock’s removal from the trailer. For instance Ann Hochradel Phillips (we hadn’t begun dating yet) and Vickie Gose Steck were upstairs in the high school planning halftime festivities for Homecoming, heard the commotion and came outside to see what was going on. There were 21 Participants from our class including Steve Griffin, Joe Tomaro, Binger Winchell, Neal Thurber, Randy Harris, Stewart Navarre, Vickie Gose Steck, Carl Laming, Rich Rousselo, John Montgomery, Emmanuel Sulfaro, Tom Sieb, Steve Rausch, Mark Obenchain, Randall Pierce, Dale Phillips, Ann Hochradel Phillips, Greg Peters, Doug Dazarow, Greg Keys and Brent Fellabaum. There was also one member of the Class of 1973 who assisted and that was Neal’s brother, Matt Thurber.

There is also the matter of the photograph that was taken that night that was in the Highlighter. Again there was much discussion at the Reenactment about this. Most thought it was taken by our fellow classmate Tom Scott but I don’t believe that has been confirmed.

All and all it was a night none of us will forget!