2016 Butch Hardy Memorial Masonry Contest Was the 35th Annual

Words: Dan Kamys[caption id="attachment_12979" align="alignnone" width="1024"]DSC_0215 Pictured left to right, Pender High School instructor Roland Dixon; Columbus Career and College Academy instructor Fred Mason; Nattaly Razo; Fourth Place Finisher William Floyd, Pender High School; Samuel LaRue; Third Place Finisher Christopher Pierce, Pender High School; Second Place Finisher, Men’s Division, Thomas Copeland, Swansboro High School; Swansboro High School instructor Daniel Bright, himself a previous winner of the contest; and Fifth Place Finisher Justin Cortese, Swansboro High School.[/caption] The 35th annual Skills Contest for masonry students attending high schools in eastern North Carolina took place on Friday, May 13, 2016. Adams, an Oldcastle company, has sponsored and run the event for all 35 years. Senior Samuel LaRue of Swansboro High School achieved Top-Score for the contest, setting the record with three wins in three years. Nattaly Razo, Columbus Career and College Academy, won the Women’s Division and had the second best score for the day. She also won the contest’s Women’s Division in 2015. Other winners included: • Second Place Finisher, Men’s Division, Thomas Copeland, Swansboro High School. • Third Place Finisher: Christopher Pierce, Pender High School. • Fifth Place Finisher: Justin Cortese, Swansboro High School. Barry Parton (not pictured) of Pender High School won the First Year Division contest. Swansboro High School won first place for combined team score. The competition is named The H.A. “Butch” Hardy Memorial Masonry Contest in memory of the contest founder. The event was held in Goldsboro, N.C. For more information, contact Lynn Nash, executive vice president of NCMCA. More photos are available at https://ncmcapictures.shutterfly.com/pictures/3484.
The Science of a Straight Line: Why Masonry’s Smallest Decisions Make the Biggest Differences
September 2026

There is a unique phenomenon in construction: the human eye can spot an out-of-plumb wall from 50 yards away across a crowded job site. We might not always be able to explain the exact mathematical deviation without a laser level, but our brains instantly

Shayne Sanders
Technical Talks
Read More
The Utah Masonry Council's Masonry Education Day
September 2026

The 2026 Masonry Education Day at Interstate Brick in West Jordan is bringing together members of Utah’s architecture, engineering, and construction community for a day focused on education, technical understanding, and workforce development. The event r

Cassie Mejia
Industry News
Read More
MCAA Upstate New York: Regaining Market Share Through Education
September 2026

The Upstate New York chapter of the MCAA was established in 2014 by a dedicated group of both union and non-union masonry contractors, producers, and suppliers who shared concerns about the declining use of masonry. T

Brett Sherman
Resources
Read More
GEN NXT: Luis Sontay
September 2026

For this month, the MCAA got to sit down with aspiring mason Luis Sontay. From taking an interest in masonry as a kid to placing 1st in a postsecondary competition, Luis’ dedication and passion for the trade is clear. Luis describes his early passion fo

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More