Milton L. Rock — loving and beloved patriarch, perceptive businessman, community-minded philanthropist, and forward-thinking magazine founder — died at home of natural causes on Jan. 27, 2018. He was 96 years old.

Business Legend
Dr. Rock was the managing partner of Hay Associates, a compensation and human resources consulting firm that was sold to Saatchi & Saatchi in 1985. (Today, it is part of Korn Ferry Hay Group.) After the sale of Hay, Dr. Rock formed MLR Holdings LLC along with his son, Robert H. Rock.

MLR owns and operates media publications and information businesses. In 1989, recognizing the need for an educational and informational resource for family companies, Dr. Rock founded Family Business Magazine.

Dr. Rock received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Temple University. After serving in the Army Air Corps, he attended the University of Rochester, where he received a Ph.D. in psychology. In 1949, he joined Edward N. Hay in developing Hay Associates, which he helped grow from a three-man firm into a global consultancy with 94 offices and 5,000 clients. 

Philanthropic Visionary
Dr. Rock, an insightful and visionary supporter, focused his philanthropy on training gifted young artists at The Rock School for Dance Education, Curtis Institute of Music, and the Ester Boyer School of Music at Temple. He took great pleasure in their joy when they practiced and in the recognition they gained when they performed.  

A lifelong patron and lover of the arts, Dr. Rock was also a longtime trustee of the Pennsylvania Ballet and served as its chair in the 1990s. His gift helped purchase the ballet’s building at Broad and Washington Streets in Philadelphia. That building today houses the Rock School for Dance Education. Originally established in 1963 as the School of Pennsylvania Ballet, it was renamed in memory of Dr. Rock’s wife, Shirley, and the school became the Shirley Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet. Later, as the school developed its national and international presence, the name was changed to the Rock School for Dance Education.

Shirley Rock passed away in 1988, and Dr. Rock’s second wife, Constance Benoliel Rock, became the School’s first Chairman of the board of trustees. Constance B. Rock served as Chair until 2000, when Dr. Rock’s daughter-in-law, Caro U. Rock, took over and served until 2016.

He was a member of the Curtis Institute of Music’s board and chaired the board from 1989 to 2002. He continued as an honorary chair of the Bok Foundation board and the Curtis board. He endowed Curtis’s Rock Chair in Composition, held by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, and a student composition fellowship. Curtis’s library, the Rock Resource Center, is named in honor of Dr. Rock.

Always the strategic thinker, Dr. Rock conceived and established a unique collaboration between The Rock School and Curtis Institute that enables young, gifted artists from two different artistic disciplines to work together and experience music composed and performed by Curtis students and choreographed and danced by The Rock School students.  This annual collaboration is now in its tenth year, and the collaborative piece is now performed annually at the Rock School’s Gala in May.

Dr. Rock took enormous pride in the quality of the dance training and the expansion of the Rock School as it added a leading and successful summer program, two campuses, an online accredited high school and boarding component, and the largest community engagement of any non-profit organization in the region.  Rock School alums currently dance in the top ballet and dance companies around the country and abroad. The Rock School is forever indebted to Dr. Rock’s vision, support, and creativity. Dr. Rock will be missed by many.

Dr. Rock became a member of the board of governors of Temple University Hospital in 1974. He served as its chairman from 1985 to 1992 and afterward became a member of the board of directors of Temple University Health System. In 1979, he joined the board of trustees of Temple University and remained an honorary life trustee.

He received many awards from Temple, including the Order of the Owl. His 1986 gift to Temple helped establish Rock Hall, a performing auditorium for the university’s Boyer College of Music. In 1991, Temple Hospital’s patient tower was named the Shirley and Milton L. Rock Pavilion.

Dr. Rock also served on the board of the Philadelphia Orchestra (1981-1994), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (1987-1996) and President Gerald Ford’s National Commission on Manpower Policy (1974-1977).

The Rock School for Dance Education is grateful for the ongoing support of Dr. Milton L. Rock’s family including his wife, Constance Benoliel Rock; his daughter, Susan Rock (partner Michael Phillips); his son, Robert H. Rock (wife Caro); grandchildren Liza Herzog (husband Paul Curci), William Rock (wife Carla); and Thomas Rock (wife Kristen); and eight great-grandchildren. Constance, Susan, Bob, Caro, Liza, and Carla Rock–all of which sit on the organization’s Board of Trustees.

Constance W. Benoliel Rock

Constance W. Benoliel Rock — For more than half a century, Connie Rock selflessly devoted her time to ensuring that Philadelphians have access to dance of the highest quality. She served actively on the Pennsylvania Ballet Board from 1962 - 2000, and in 1992, when The Rock School became an independent, non-profit, educational institution she was elected its first chairman, a position she held until June of 2000. That year, Connie was honored at The Rock School’s Annual Gala along with her husband, Rock School founding benefactor, Dr. Milton L. Rock, who passed away in January of 2018. 

Philanthropic Leadership
As Chairman of the Board, Connie was a tireless advocate of The Rock School’s training program. Her passion for education and the arts was contagious and helped to build a broad base of support for The School. During her tenure and along with the Board and staff she helped to assemble, The School grew from a small organization with a budget of $300,000 to one with a budget of nearly $3 million, two facilities, and a student body of nearly 1000 young dancers. 

Her vision and support made it possible for The School to initiate its international exchange program with the Paris Opera Ballet School and London’s Royal Ballet School. This year, plans are in progress to expand the program to include the Ululate School in Madrid and the National School of the Czech Republic. Connie was also responsible for the creation of the Career Development Series, a program designed to enhance the students’ training through mentoring. 

As the mother of five successful children, Connie Rock was a proven teacher. She had endless enthusiasm for learning and was always eager to share her experiences and knowledge. Her deep concerns about education carried over into her work with The Rock School. After stepping down as Board Chair, she shifted her focus to The School’s Education Committee, which addressed the unique academic needs of young artists to ensure that they receive a superior education. 

Today we invite our trustees to take a moment to reflect on the gifts of a great mentor, philanthropist, and grassroots volunteer, Chairman Emeritus, Constance W. Benoliel Rock. We honor her dedication, support, and enthusiasm and are grateful for her incalculable contributions to The School. She has led by example and set the “barre” high for those who follow.

Bravo et merci, Madame Benoliel!

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The Rock School thanks Dr. Milton L. Rock for its origins and its future...

From the Rock School -

As we continue with Dr. Rock's vision, we can't help but offer thanks daily for the leadership and support he and the entire Rock family have provided the school and its students. 

#RockAlum from around the world have been paying thanks to Dr. Rock with the hashtag #ThankYouDrRock. We invite you to visit our facebook, instagram, and twitter to share your Rock School stories in an international tribute to Dr. Milton L. Rock.

 We encourage you to give today in support of the Milton L. Rock Scholarship for Dance Education.

 Here are just a few #ThankYouDrRock messages from #RockAlum:

- What an incredible and generous human being. And what an honor and a privilege to know have known him.

- The Rocks have ushered in a beautiful legacy at the school that bears their name.

- We are so grateful for their generous desire to support and encourage the arts, and to develop this ballet school into such a famous and respected training institution.

- Bravo, Dr. Rock. ❤️. You and Shirley will be cherished for your kind hearts, and for the loving gifts you have given to countless young dancers. Thank you.

- We will always be grateful for his support for the arts and the young dancers who have/had the opportunity to study in The Rock School for Dance Education.