Rocky-The Early Years Rocky, on his 5th birthday Ross "Rocky" Anderson was born in Logan, Utah in 1951. His parents, Roy and Grace Anderson, both worked at the local lumberyard, Anderson Lumber Company, which was founded by Rocky's great-grandfather, a Norwegian immigrant carpenter. The Andersons were not affluent, but they had a good life in Logan. With a modest home on Maple Drive, the Anderson family (including Rocky's older siblings, Bob and Kristen) enjoyed Logan's beauty, charm and security. An Anderson Easter in Logan. Bob, Roy, Rocky, Grace, Kristen Neighbors often came over to share dinner in the backyard on the picnic table. While a new church building was being constructed, church services were held in an old Quonset hut - a curved, metal building constructed during World War II. Logan was a place where young children could safely take the bus to town, and where gatherings like the Easter Egg Hunt at the Logan Tabernacle, and the football games at the old Utah State University stadium, brought the entire community together. When Rocky was 7 years old, his father was transferred to Salt Lake City to manage a lumberyard. Rocky attended Morningside Elementary School. One of the highlights of his early years in Salt Lake City was watching Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants play an exhibition game at Derk's Field, then home of the Salt Lake Bees. Intrigued with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris's quest to beat Babe Ruth's home-run record, Rocky became an avid baseball fan. While living in the Salt Lake City area, Rocky learned the value of open spaces. Next to the Anderson home on Shanna Street were several acres of scrub oak, where neighborhood children spent much of their playtime each week in what was to them a veritable forest. Rocky (second from left) and friends enjoy the greatest snow on earth When Rocky was 10 years old, his father was promoted to President of Anderson Lumber Company and transferred to the corporate general office in Ogden. The Andersons moved to Ogden just in time for Rocky to begin sixth grade at Polk Elementary, where he was elected student-body president. These many years later, Rocky recalls his supportive big sister Kristen (who is currently volunteering on his reelection campaign) working late into the evening, making posters to help with his elementary school election. Rocky went on to attend Mt. Ogden Jr. High School and Ogden High School. During his high school years, Rocky worked at an Anderson Lumber shop, building roof trusses, loading lumber, and delivering cabinets. He also worked shingling roofs in the late afternoons and would quickly clean up to play lead guitar at local dances and concerts with his rock-and-roll group, The Viscounts. When Rocky's twenty-year-old son Luke practices his guitar at full volume, Rocky knows that if his father (who endured the Viscount years) were alive, he would smile, wink, and say something amusing about karma.