Walk of Fame

Item

Title
Walk of Fame
Date Created
October 18, 1929
Description
The Walk of Fame was started by President Hamilton Holt. He had already started a collection of stones from the homes of famous men and women at his home in Connecticut. On becoming president of Rollins College in 1925, he decided to donate the stones--then numbered 22--to the school. The collection grew, with the latest stone to Marjorie Rawlings being dedicated in 2019.

Now, in 2024, 597 stones have been placed in the Walk of Fame, although some have been removed either intentionally, such as those honoring Civil War Confederate generals, or unintentionally, such as the stone honoring Jackie Robinson, which was repeatedly vandalized and finally went missing in 2014.

Researchers on the stones have several resources available. Two books have been published, chronicling the stones, in 1939 and 2003. Hamilton Holt also kept a loose-leafed book detailing the stones he acquired. The Rollins College archives also has a database of the stones, with pictures, that was compiled in 2003. Some of the stones also have a separate file in the archive that include correspondence and newspaper clippings about them. Finally, the college newspaper, The Sandspur, often had stories about installation of specific stones.
Institution: City, State
Rollins College; Winter Park, Florida
Learn More About this Subject
Wenxian Zhang, et al., Walk of Fame: A Rollins History, Olin Library, 2003.
Media
Postcard of the Rollins College Walk of Fame

Position: 294 (154 views)