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	Rocky Marciano: The Rock Of His Times
	As a cultural icon of his age, Rocky Marciano came to personify the cherished American Way of Life that emerged to counter the communist threat, both abroad and at home. He also came to embody the American Dream, a concept in which the nation believed and pursued in the early 1950s with earnest vigor. He was, in short, the ideal. He was the sports hero who represented who Americans were and what they strived for as a society in the early 1950s. Marciano the man, of course, while possessing many of the outstanding qualities at the heart of his image, was considerably more complex than his image indicated. He had flaws and even a bit of mystery. But the fact that Marciano's image had a few holes and was represented with a few inaccuracies did not detract from its power. It was close enough to reality to retain a lasting impact. In the end, the fact that Marciano did not have the same type of social impact of Louis or Ali was, in a sense, a function of time and circumstance. He was certainly every bit as representative of his times. Joe Louis came to symbolize early-1940s patriotism, and two decades later Muhammad Ali came to symbolize mid-1960s freedom and rebellion. In between, Rocky Marciano came to symbolize early-1950s simplicity. He was, indeed, the rock of his times.
	*Russell Sullivan*