Suffolk Reporter

Burton Rocks ’94, who endured severe childhood asthma, spent much of his school years in hospitals, including Stony Brook. During these solitary hours, he found a way to interact with his heroes and eventually produced an award-winning documentary nearly 40 years later.

The 30-minute film, "Burton Rocks Calling," features interviews with sports legends like Charles Barkley and Nolan Ryan, as well as Hollywood figures such as Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney. It also includes rare interviews with Negro League legends Buck Leonard and Buck O’Neil, along with a firsthand account of Babe Ruth’s alleged “called shot” from former Yankees player and coach Frank Crosetti.

The project began in 1985 when a bored 13-year-old Rocks, confined to a hospital bed with only a TV, rotary phone, and cassette deck for entertainment, decided to contact some of his sports heroes. “There wasn’t much to do at the hospital so I figured I’d call former Dodgers player Duke Snider,” he said. Despite the lack of internet resources at the time, Rocks managed to track down Snider's home phone number. Snider was cordial and happy to speak with the knowledgeable teenage fan.

Encouraged by this success, Rocks pursued other admired figures. “I put together a black book and found out what hotels they stayed in,” he said. Over the next 22 years, ending in 2007 with actor Mickey Rooney, Rocks conducted hundreds of interviews.

Years later, after much of his childhood home’s contents were destroyed in a flood, Rocks discovered that his mother had saved his recordings. “When I asked her why she saved them,” said Rocks, “she said ‘one day they’re going to be valuable.’ She meant valuable as inspiration for others facing adversity.”

With encouragement from his cousin David Dortort and financial support from his parents, Rocks hired family friend Bob Holtzman as producer for "Burton Rocks Calling." The documentary has since won awards at WorldFest Houston, Oniros Film Awards New York Edition (IFNY), International Filmmaker Festival of New York (IFFNY), and Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival.

Rocks believes that while gracious subjects made his process possible back then, it could not be duplicated today due to changes in media access. He advocates for initiatives like a kid’s journalism day by Major League Baseball to inspire future generations.

In addition to filmmaking, Rocks has extended efforts towards children’s education through a YouTube channel called Larry’s Big Adventures. Created with his father Lawrence Rocks — an author and chemist — the channel features animated cartoons highlighting scientific concepts based on Lawrence's patents.

“They’re science cartoons based on my father’s work,” said Rocks. Inspired by his own hospital days watching cartoons like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny while learning to draw despite an IV in one hand, he aims to create digestible educational content for kids.

Three cartoons have been completed so far with plans for monthly releases. “Kids are intelligent,” said Rocks. “If you explain something like antivirals in bite-sized pieces, they’ll understand.” The goal is not monetization but showing children what is possible.

Rocks initially entered Stony Brook University Honors College as a Chemistry major but switched paths due to health issues triggered by lab work conditions. Reflecting on this change prompted by advice from his father during an asthma attack caused by formaldehyde exposure in the lab: “Journalism was not my first choice; I wanted to be another Dr. Rocks.”

Ultimately finding journalism through the Honors College at Stony Brook opened doors that shaped his career path.

— Robert Emproto