History’s Gem of the Month
June 2010
Reprinted from recoilmag.com, July 2005 issue
Pinconning, Mich. -- A historic collegiate achievement was realized Friday when a medium-sized cardboard box containing a half-dozen rocks received a Bachelors Degree of Science in Business and Marketing from University of Phoenix Online, a popular online college. "Congratulations! You've graduated!" the box of rocks was informed by e-mail following the completion of the course's final exam. "Welcome to the exciting world of Business/Marketing! Click here to register for a Masters Degree from University of Phoenix Online, the nation's leading University for working professionals."
According to sources, the box of rocks had been able to obtain its degree online in only three years and without having to seek a leave of absence from its current job at a Pinconning residence, where for five years it has been solely responsible for stopping a porch's screen door from opening all of the way.
The event marked a milestone for the inanimate object, which had previously received no formal education via public schooling or private vocational training. University of Phoenix public relations director Kyle Rise refused to disclose the cumulative grade point average earned by the box of rocks, but confirmed that it had indeed earned passing marks in all of the courses required to receive a diploma from the atypical school.
"That a box of rocks was able to earn its degree through the University of Phoenix's online program is proof positive that anyone or anything – regardless of social class, cognitive ability or financial resources – can, through hard work and persistence, earn a college degree," said Rise. Rise speculated that news of the box of rocks' achievement could spark increased enrollment among demographics previously absent from the University's student body, such as bags of hammers, telephone poles and other similar objects.
History's Gems Archives
May 2007
(The Telescope Story)
June 2007
(The Story of the Grand Marais "Meteor")
July 2007
(Hints on Hunting Glacial Agate Article)
August 2007
(Lake Superior Origin from 1957)
Fall 2007
(Tourist Information from the 1920s)
December 2007
(Lake Superior Editorial)
January 2008
(Grand Marais Tourist Signpost)
February 2008
(Unusual Wedding Invitation)
March 2008
(1915 Rules for Teachers)
April 2008
(Cedar Stump article from 1962)
May 2008
(Old Postcards)
June 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal Proposal-Part 1)
Summer 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal-Part 2)
Summer 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal-Part 3)
October 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal-Part 4)
November 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal-Part 5)
December 2008
(Agate Leaflet from 1927)
January 2009
(Old Postcards)
February 2009
(Snowstorm Article from 1988)
March 2009
(Lake Superior Agate Poem)
Spring 2009
(History of M77)
July 2009
(Axel Niemi Photo)
August 2009
(Ship Travel on Lake Superior)
September 2009
(Hints on Hunting and Finding Agates)
Fall 2009
(Hints on Hunting and Finding Agates Part 2)
February 2010
(The Story of Grand Marais Part 1)
February 2010
(The Story of Grand Marais Part 2)
April/May 2010
(The Story of Grand Marais Part 3)
June 2010
(Box of Rocks Gets Diploma)
July 2010
(Shipwrecks at Agate Beach)
August/September 2010
(1958 Detroit News Article about Axel Niemi)
Fall 2010
(Reprint from the Douglas Houghton Expedition)
Winter 2011
(Old Postcards and Pictures)
Spring 2011
(1905 Grand Marais Article)
September 2011
(Michigan Log Marks)
March 2012
(John Keating)
January 2012
(Axel Remembered)
March 2012
(John Keating)
June 2012
(The Shark: Post 1)
September 2012
(The Shark: Post 2)
March 2013
(The Shark: Post 3)
August 2013
(All That Glitters. . .)
November 2013
(Excerpts from The Grand Marais Herald)
April 2014
(Souvenir View Book of Sault Ste. Marie)
September 2014
(Michigan Beach Stones)
February 2015
(Michigan’s Mystic Dunes)
June 2015
(Vintage Grand Marais Photos)
November 2015
(Gitchee Agomowin)
June 2016
(Grand Marais Poems)
March 2017
(Logging Era Photos)
July 2017
(Jonas Hill Letters)
December 2017
(Seagull (Lost) Island, Grand Marais Bay)
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