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.
Britt Stokes, Acme Brick’s Director of Marketing, Retires.
August 2026

Fort Worth, Texas – After faithfully serving Acme Brick Company for 40 years, Britt has chosen to retire – although he will still be involved with Acme on various projects. Britt began his career with Acme as staff photographer and through dedicati

Industry News
Read More
Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More
The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More