A ROCK-SOLID LEGACY
October 21, 2021, was a historic day in Hollins’ nearly 200-year history: the Rock on West Campus Drive received its first cleaning in four decades. When the process was complete, countless layers of paint were removed, and with them, a 40-year historical record of student announcements, declarations, and celebrations.
Hollins announced the Rock’s restoration to the public in an article published on the university’s website and social media accounts, aptly titled “After 40 Years, the Rock Gets a Cleaning.” The article stated that the cleaning was “much-needed,” as the paint layer “had become so thick that it had begun cracking and separating from the stone.”
Left: The layers of paint were so thick that they were cracked and sliding off the side of the Rock. | Middle: Crew members used a crowbar to pull the entire front facade from the Rock’s surface. | Right: A closeup of layers of paint on the back side of the removed front facade.
While reactions from alumnae/i were certainly expected, the Facebook post which shared the article received an unprecedented response, including 55 comments and 83 shares. Among those comments and reposts, some interesting patterns emerged: slews of teary-faced emojis, requests for a photo display of the Rock’s many iterations, and general feelings of sadness and loss. There were also fond reminiscences and people sharing photos of their own Rock moments. What was most clear, however, was that the Rock encapsulates many alumnae/i’s most powerful and joyful memories of their time at Hollins.
Bryna Wedner Darling, Leigh Wilkerson Johnson, Margaret Spiggle Fogg, and Kelley Wingo Gates (all class of 1989) with the Rock, which they painted together before their graduation.
Bryna Wedner Darling ’89 was one of the many alumnae who commented on the Facebook post announcing the Rock’s cleaning. She shared a photo of herself with Leigh Wilkerson Johnson, Margaret Spiggle Fogg, and Kelley Wingo Gates (all class of 1989) with the Rock, which they painted together before their graduation. “I didn’t realize until I read the article that the Rock-painting started only a few years before I arrived on campus in the fall of 1985,” she says. “I was amazed by how many layers of paint there were. The only time I’ve participated in painting the Rock was before graduation, but maybe I’ll have to do it again at the next reunion.”
“I realize that the paint removal had to be done, but, in a way, it feels like removing a little piece of history,” Darling says. “I can’t even fully explain my emotional attachment to the Rock, but it’s there. I know that one day they’ll redo the sidewalk outside of Tinker, where I engraved my name in the wet cement along with most of my first-year class, but at least now the Rock itself will always be there.”
Left: Members of the campus community gathered around for a “Spread Kindness” photo in spring 2021. Right: Members of the campus community gathered to take a last look before the cleaning.
Abby Hargreaves ’14 painted the Rock for her first time as a way to celebrate First Step.
One of the most liked and most replied-to comments on the post was written by Abby Hargreaves ’14, who posted, “So many of us would have paid good money for a chunk of the paint layers.” She doesn’t think her comment is an exaggeration, either. “If it weren’t for the lead risk, it would have been so cool—and no doubt profitable—for Hollins to make pieces of the paint flake available for purchase as keepsake items, whether in jewelry or other knickknacks,” she says. “It would also be so smart to add more Rock merchandise to the Hollins store. I mean, do I need a paperweight? No. But would I buy a mini replica of the Rock as a paperweight? Probably.”
Like Darling, Hargreaves understands the emotional ramifications of the Rock’s cleaning. “It’s such a big representation of history in an interesting and tangible way,” she says. “I think one of the reasons the Rock is such a striking icon for alumnae/i in particular is that it’s a more portable sort of idea than traditions like Tinker Day and Ring Night. It’s so hard to translate Tinker Day into life after Hollins, but you can replicate the Rock (and explain it more easily to non-Hollins folks than Tinker Day) pretty easily, even if it’s just grabbing a small rock roughly the shape of the Rock, painting it, and putting it outside your home.”
Fencing teammates Elena Samel and Patricia Cope (both class of 2009) after painting the Rock in preparation for a tournament.
Elena Samel ’09 painted the Rock numerous times with her fencing team. “My favorite designs we did were either a white picket fence with -ing added to the end, or our bloody fencing valentine to announce our excitement for an upcoming tournament. One time my friends painted the Rock for my birthday and were so excited they almost tackled me off my feet,” she says. “Painting the Rock always represented the great Hollins pillars of mischief, creativity, and chaos. The Rock is one of the first things you see on campus on the way in and one of the last things you see as you leave. Each time I pass it, it leaves as much of a mark on my heart as we ever did on its surface.”