Born in Texas, Rock graduated from high school in Oklahoma in 1942 and joined the U.S. Navy's flying cadets program.
He was discharged from the military after several years of service and attended Oklahoma A&M (since renamed to Oklahoma State University) before transferring to Washburn University in Kansas, where he graduated and also attended law school, graduating in 1950.
[2] After leaving the House, Rock owned several meatpacking plants as well as owning and managing a string of Residence Inn franchises, operating a cable television station, and other business ventures.
[3] Many years later, he re-entered politics, serving in the State Senate for an additional two terms from 1989 to 1996.
Rock married his wife Rosalee, whom he met at college in Oklahoma; the couple were married until his death, and had 4 children, one of whom (Rand Rock) followed his father into the Kansas House of Representatives.