School years, milestones and family stories, with the original sources and qualifications.
Mike
A parade prize and a first crush
A 1974 parade photograph puts Mike Roling in the back of a wagon with the Grand River Valley Pony Pullers. Leroy Brown was driving, Larry Latamondeer sat on the left in back, and Mike sat on the right. Sandy Brown rode the pony alongside them. The group won the parade’s Best Western Costume prize.
Tim adds a family memory: Sandy was Mike’s first crush.
Sources: Parade photograph and caption, Salisbury Press-Spectator, 1974, page 11; Tim Roling’s recollection. Original newspaper page.
Open the full-resolution newspaper page. Faithful full-page reproduction; original PDF preserved in the family archive.
Big days in Mike’s classroom
Birthdays were a special occasion in Mike’s first- and second-grade classroom at St. Joseph. A 1976 newspaper photograph shows the children celebrating together, with their teacher, Sister Mary Ann, at the right. The caption identifies Mike in the back row.
Source: “Birthdays Are Big Days For Little Children,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, September 23, 1976, page 7.
A childhood party
Mike turned up in the newspaper’s social news in 1976 as a guest at Jaydin Wellborn’s afternoon birthday party—a small glimpse of childhood beyond the family photographs.
Source: “Jaydin Wellborn Honored on Birthday,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, 1976, page 7.
Mike makes seven
Mike’s birth announcement appeared in the Salisbury newspaper in 1968. He was Bob and Bridget’s seventh child, joining David, Dan, Betty, Ron, Linda and Jane.
Source: “Births: Roling,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, 1968, page 1. Original announcement preserved in the family archive.
Family history records Mike’s full name as Michael John Roling. Family stories and records will be added here as they are documented.
Mike’s high-school car
Mike bought this car while he was in high school. He and his friends got it running, then used a torch to cut off the roof. Family recollection suggests the fire department may have been called, though that detail has not been confirmed.
College years and Delta Chi
Mike followed Ron into Delta Chi as a legacy member and also served as chapter president, according to the family account. The dates of his presidency have not been established.
The 1990 Rhetor names Mike Roling in Student Government and Michael Roling in Delta Chi and the Mace and Torch Academic Leadership Honor Society. These pages document activities, not a degree or graduation date, and do not date his presidency.
Sources: Family confirmation supplied October 31, 2026; Central Missouri State University, Rhetor (1990), Student Government, p. 92; Delta Chi, pp. 220–221; Mace and Torch, p. 304. View the original university yearbook.