Fall 2019
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Volume:
63
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3
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FALL 2019
Throughout the existence of humankind, people have been working with stone of one kind or another and for a variety of reasons. Recognized for its strength as a building material, people began using stone to construct safe secure shelters and places to live. Recognized for its abil-ity to stand the test of time, people began using stone to record their history, mark important places and memorialize their loved ones.
Stone work started with crude attempts to stack stones into some form of shelter. People made due with what stones was available and tried to make them work. As time went on, they realized that if they could modify the existing stones, they could make them more effec-tive. So, they began to shape and form the stones, allowing them to fit together more effi-ciently and with greater strength.
Through this process of working with stones, people discovered that they could also carve them and that what they carved into them, was permanent. This led to the realization that if some-thing was carved in stone; it would be available for future people to see as well. And with this realization, stone workers were born, making them one of the oldest professions known to humans.
The knowledge and profession of being a stone worker has developed over thousands of years, and is still being passed down from generation to generation. Although the tools and equip-ment have changed and advanced over all these thousands of years, the art and concept of stone work has remained basically the same.
I am reminded of this passing of knowledge from one generation to another, as I read about the passing of Mr. Henry Dietz of Waco Texas. Mr. Dietz was in the monument business and was also a partner in Pine Creek Quarries here in Elberton. He had 101 years of knowledge at the time of his passing; he was able to share that knowledge with his children, his grandchil-dren and his great-grandchildren. I wish I could have spoken with him about the monument business his father started in 1903, and all the changes he witnessed over a lifetime of working in the granite industry.
Here in Elberton, we too, have our veterans who still have much to offer and teach us. As you will read in this edition; George Gaines at 100 years of knowledge and experience, still has much to teach about the granite industry. Eugene Wallace, who in his late 90’s, recently just laid down his hammer and chisel, he still stops by the plant to make sure they are doing it right.
The art of stone working continues to be passed along to those who desire to learn this sacred and ancient knowledge. The demand for stone monuments and memorials still exists today just as it did thousands of years ago and will into the future. Don’t pass on the opportunity to learn from people like Mr. Dietz, George Gaines or Eugene Wallace, who lived developing a lifetime of experience and knowledge that can never be regained after they have gone. Reach out to those who still have the knowledge of working with stone and learn from them. Ensure that thousands of years of stone working knowledge is not lost on our watch.
Design Mart Offers Gerber Users A New Alternative
Design Mart announces the release of an all new Color Kit tutorial for Gerber users. The tuto-rial makes use of the Inkscape program and includes granite fills and an instructional video that is approximately 40 minutes long.
There is a two-minute preview
video explaining the tutorial
at https://designmart.com/
software/color-kit-30/. This preview gives viewers a look at what to expect from the Color Kit files and companion video. The full-length DVD tutorial video is 38 minutes long and ships along with the color fills. The tutorial video covers the following topics:
optimizing and saving drawings created in Gerber Omega,
locating and downloading Inkscape,
setting up the Inkscape workspace,
importing the monument drawing created in Gerber Omega,
loading granite colors and textures,
selecting portions of drawings and applying polish, rock pitch and frost, and
applying sunken sandblast lines (or v-lines) with dark fill.
In addition to these basics, the tutorial also covers:
applying background cemetery images,
importing company logo onto the drawing, and
creating a contract with lines for dates, approval signatures and other information.
After a drawing is completed with the desired granite colors and textures, the tutorial covers additional topics such as:
printing color renderings design, and
exporting color renderings as an image and as a PDF for easy E-mailing for customer approval.
For more information please feel free to contact Design Mart at 800-736-7455, email them at
d-mart@designmart.com or visit them on the web at
www.designmart.com.
Users may color and save variations to allow customers to choose granite colors from a render-ing of a personalized monument.
MBNA Brings Their MBUniversity to Athens, Georgia
This year’s MBNA University Conference
will be held in the great state of Georgia!
That’s right, Athens, Georgia was
chosen as the location for 2020’s
conference. The MBNA conference
will kick off Thursday, February 6th
and end at noon on Sunday, February,
9th of 2020. This is right in the playing
field of the Elberton Granite Association’s
finest manufacturing plants located in The
Granite Capital of the World!
The itinerary lined up promises to keep a jam-
packed schedule of fun, education and networking manufacturers from the area along with fel-low retailers wanting to build new relationships and see the new products and techniques available.
The Elberton Granite Association will be hosting a trip to Elberton from Athens on Friday. The bus will be leaving the conference at 7:00 AM and will tour Elberton manufacturing plants with demonstrations of how granite artisans fabricate the monuments ordered. The tour will also go to an actual running quarry where the group will be permitted to see how granite blocks are taken from the earth and lifted from the quarry to be shipped to the individual man-ufacturing plants. A demonstration will be given that day on proper setting and handling of large monuments and the different tools and products used. A good old fashioned southern-styled lunch will be served at the Elbert County Fairgrounds along with a cleaning and restora-tion demonstration given by EGA Member-Firms. The day will also consist of
a demonstration of CNC Technology before
heading back to the conference in Athens.
Saturday, the Elberton Granite Association
along with MBNA will host a Rockin’
Party evening banquet with everything
from happy hour & dinner to a live band
for entertainment! Schedule of Events
(Visit www.monumentbuilders.org for a full list of events)
Thursday, February 6, 2020
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Check-In and Information Desk Open
11:30 AM - 4:30 PM Golf Outing with Lunch, OR
11:30 AM - 4:30 PM Stan Mullins Art Studio Tour
with local craft beer
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Check-In and Information Desk Open
Friday, February 7, 2020
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM Check-In and Information Desk Open
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM EGA Hosted Elberton Day
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Vendor Set Up
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM MBNA Happy Hour with Vendors & Art Show
Saturday, February 8, 2020
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Check-In and Information Desk Open
7:30 AM - 10:00 PM Art Show
8:30 AM - 9:45 AM MBU #1 Cremation Marketing
9:50 AM - 11:20 AM MBU #2 Local Historians
11:50 AM - 1:20 AM Annual Recognition Luncheon
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MBU #3 Photomasking
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MBU #4 Embracing the Customer Experience
3:15 PM - 4:30 PM MBU #5 Sales
3:15 PM - 4:30 PM MBU #6 Cleaning & Restoration
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM EGA Happy Hour/Banquet & Band
Sunday, February 9, 2020
7:00 AM - 12:00 PM Check-In and Information Desk Open
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM Art Show
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM MBU #7 How to Compete in the Digital Era
10:20 AM - 12:00 PM MBU #8 MBNA’s Design Course
EGA Annual Meeting
Held June 12, 2019The Elberton Granite Association hosted their annual meeting this past June inviting all member-firms to the Elberton Civic Center. The evening consisted of great fellow-ship as the members came together to review the fiscal year of 2018 and the progress that was made in it. Following the business portion was a catered meal and happy fellowship.
The meeting was called to order by Outgoing President George Oglesby, III, of Keystone Me-morials, Inc., then moved into the traditional roll call of membership.
Vice President, Roger Wallace of Wallace Granite Sales spoke a few kind words and led a mo-ment of silence for the past and present members that passed away this past year. This is not an easy part of the meeting to do but Roger spoke on their behalf and gave honor to them in a most humble and true way. Roger honored Clara Mae Algood, of Regency Granite Company (former EGA member), Billy Rucker, Rucker Trucking & Leasing, Inc., along with employees of members that were lost this past year.
Out-going president, George Oglesby of Keystone Memorials, called the meeting to order and welcomed the members.
Vice-President, Roger Wallace of Wallace Granite Sales led a moment of silence in recognition to those lost in the past year.
Treasurer, Marty Walker of Walker Granite Company read the Treasurer’s Report for the year of 2018.
New Member, Mitchell Boone of Flat Creek X-Press was presented a warm welcome with a Membership Plaque.
Trudy King of King’s Monument Company presented Outgoing President, George Oglesby of Keystone Memorials with a plaque of appreciation for his service to the EGA members.
Guest Speaker, MBNA President, Mike Johns, gave a brief presentation about membership benefits of the Monument Builders of North America.
Introducing the EGA Board of Trustees
2019-2020 Seated Left to Right; Tom Oglesby, Keystone Memorials, Roger Wallace, Wallace Granite Sales, and Stan Mills of L&M Granite Company; Standing Left to Right; Mark Harper, Harper’s Quarry, Nick Fleischer, Eagle Granite Company, Marty Walker, Walker Granite Com-pany, Chris Kubas, Executive Vice President, Greg Ruff, River Edge Granite Company, Marty King, King’s Monument Company and Bo Rutherford of Pyramid Stone Industries
In June of each year, the members of the Elberton Granite Association come together for their annual membership meeting. At this time, they elect three new trustees to serve a three-year term as three trustees currently serving, roll off after finishing their three-year term. During the next monthly board meeting, the new and carry-over trustees elect the Association’s offic-ers for the next twelve months.
The new President of the EGA is Roger Wallace of Wallace Granite Sales, the Vice President is Nick Fleischer of Eagle Granite Company and the Treasurer continues to be Marty Walker of Walker Granite Company.
The three new trustees elected at the annual meeting were Mark Harper of Harper’s Quarry, Tom Oglesby of Keystone Memorials, and Bo Rutherford of Pyramid Stone Industries. The El-berton Granite Association would like to extend a big welcome to these gentlemen and an even bigger “thank you” to all of the board for the dedication that they display throughout the years.
The three gentlemen that have served their three-year term and have rolled off of the board of trustees are Outgoing President, George Oglesby, III of Keystone Memorials, Randy Smith of Central Granite Company, and Rick Adams of Star Granite & Bronze. Without men and women like these, the Elberton Granite Association could not carry out its promise to the granite indus-try.
3rd annual Museum Foundation Golf Tournament This special event will be held at Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course in Richard B. Russell State Park, Elberton, Georgia on
October 25, 2019.
Proceeds from participation and sponsorship will help to provide much needed renovations and repairs to the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit. For more information about enrolling your team or becoming a sponsor, contact Matthew Pruitt or Chris Kubas at 706-283-2551 or visit our website at www.egaonline.com.
TWO FLIGHTS - Cash Prizes Plus Merchandise Prizes for Top Three Teams Per Flight! Merchan-dise Prizes for Third Place of each Flight!
Hole-In-One Contest - Closest To Pin - Longest Drive
Putting Contest AND MORE! Sponsorships Needed!
Awards Ceremony & Buffet Sponsor
Platinum, Gold & Silver Sponsor • Beverage Cart Sponsor
Putting Contest Sponsor • Longest Drive Sponsor
Hole Sponsor • Gift Bag Sponsors
Hole-In-One Challenge SponsorThe Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit was originally designed in 1979 and opened to the public in March 1981. The goal of the Elberton Granite Association is to provide a resource to the public that relates the history of Elberton’s granite industry, to preserve its
traditions, and to explain the quarrying and manufacturing processes. Over the years, our museum collection has grown, and the facilities are in need of improvements. Your participation in our golf tournament will help us achieve that goal. All proceeds to benefit the Elberton Granite Museum Foundation.
Contact Matthew Pruitt
at 706-283-2551 or
mpruitt.ega@gmail.com for RegistrationAwards
Ceremony
&
Buffet
Sponsor-
$1500
(1 Available, First Come-First Serve)
4 Man Team
Name on Event Flyer & Event Website
Signage & Recognition at Ceremony
10x10 Tent/Canopy area at Clubhouse if desired. Giveaway items, literature, etc. may be distributed from any tent area (Canopy Not Provided)
Platinum
Sponsor
-
$1,500
4 Man Team
Name on Event Flyer & Event Website
Signage on Holes 1, 10, 18, Driving Range, & Putting Green
10x10 Tent/Canopy area on course if desired. Giveaway items, literature, etc. may be distributed from any tent area (Canopy Not Provided)
Gold
Sponsor-
$1,000
4 Man Team
Name on Event Flyer & Event Website
Signage on Holes 2 and 11
10x10 Tent/Canopy area on course if desired. Giveaway items, literature, etc. may be distributed from any tent area (Canopy Not Provided)
Beverage
Cart-
$700
4 Man Team
Signage at Beverage Cart
Name on Event Flyer & Event Website
Signage & Recognition at Ceremony
10x10 Tent/Canopy area at Clubhouse if desired. Giveaway items, literature, etc. may be distributed from any tent area (Canopy Not Provided)
George Gaines, Former EGA President, Elberton Native, World War II Veteran, 100 Years Young
August 17, 1919, George Gaines of Elberton, Georgia was born into this world. Mr. Gaines has certainly left his mark in this world in his 100 years and he continues to go strong. Mr. Gaines’ family settled into the Elberton area prior to the Civil War and Mr. Gaines is proud to call the Elberton community home still. George served in World War II and is today, Elberton’s oldest decorated combat veteran. Between the years of 1947 and 1964, Mr. Gaines worked in the granite industry as owner and operator of Atlas Granite Company, including serving as Presi-dent of the Elberton Granite Association’s Board of Trustees before he took a full-time position in the Georgia National Guard for another 26 years. He assumed command of the 1st Battal-ion, 214th Artillery. When he decided to retire from this position as a Colonel, he returned to the granite industry and served 40 years as the Elberton Granite Association’s monument in-spector. On top of all of these accomplishments, Mr. Gaines has been a steadfast and faithful member of the community,
Mr. Gaines watched many changes and growths occur in the granite industry situated in his hometown of Elberton, Georgia. He witnessed as technology came in and eased some of the strenuous pressures involved in the industry that he loved. Through all of it, he has continued to be a hardworking man and strong leader. Mr. Gaines serves his community even at the age of 100. Mr. Gaines has been honored for his service by a number of speakers, including Dan Mel of U.S. Rep. Doug Collins’ office, Granite Association Director Chris Kubas, retired National Guard Gen. Joel Seymour, Rotary District Gov. Bruce Azevedo, fellow Rotarian John Hubbard and Gaines’ nephew Robert Johnson. Mr. Gaines has served not only in the granite industry and military; he has served as a member of the Board of Education and continues to be a strong civic and church leader. Mr. Gaines was recently honored as his 60th anniversary of being a member of the Elberton Rotary Club.
Mr. Gaines, the Elberton Granite Association along with all of the granite industry want to wish you a very happy birthday and thank you for your phenomenal life of service.
Mr. George Gaines and Executive Vice-President Christopher Kubas
Design Mart Celebrates 50 Years of Service
50 Years of Investing in the Future and Developing Technology
to Help the Granite Industry Flourish Since 1969, every aspect of the monument industry has changed. The one thing that remains the same is Design Mart’s commitment to the monu-ment industry and the families it serves.
In 1969 the country anxiously watched as Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. It was at that time that Design Mart was born in an old gasoline station in Elberton, Georgia.
Many things have changed since 1969, including the location of Design Mart. Design Mart’s second home near the Elberton Granite Association in the heart of Elberton, Georgia. As Design Mart grows and serves a new generation of memorial retailers more talent and space are re-quired. Today, in a new facility, located just two doors down from the Elberton Granite Associ-ation, Design Mart has a team of artists, web developers and support staff ready to serve the monument industry.
While change occurs, commitment to quality is still the heart of what keeps Design Mart at the leading edge of the memorial marketing and sales industry. From hand-drawn monuments to digital design, technology has changed, but Design Mart’s mission is still the same: To help the retailer provide a personal memorial and the best service possible.
When Design Mart began, full-size pencil layouts were on tracing paper. These were done with chalk and carbon paper to transfer designs to stencil. This process was high tech. All monument designs created as prints, books and brochures were hand-drawn, hand-lettered, watercolor and airbrush works of art. Rock pitch was applied at the end of the design process and was accomplished with a series of templates made from blotter paper. Joe Fernandez tore small sections from the paper to form large, small, long and short curvatures. These templates were held against the watercolor and airbrush drawing and a specially tuned Paasche airbrush, with a tweaked mixture of water and black India Ink, was used to delicately apply a darker spray at the edge of the template - giving the illusion of a scalloped rock pitch surface. The re-sult was a nice effect that simulated rock pitch. In fact, it has made the transition into digital art. It has been employed in at least one online monument design tool, and we’ve seen it in color renderings created with photo editing applications.
Next came plastic plates by 3M and others, as shown below. These could be easily pressed into stencil, cutting it, so the sandblaster would pull the stencil and begin blasting and shaping. With a wide selection of DMart designs on plastic punch plates, everyone could design and produce personal monuments, but no one had to be an artist.
In the enlarged carving shown on the top right of this image it is easy to see how the entire carving was frosted by airbrush 50 years ago. After that, sunken portions of a carving were giv-en some additional ink from the same airbrush. When the ink dried, highlights were scratched onto the high points of the leaves and petals by lightly dragging a broad-blade stylus with mi-croscopic teeth notched into it. Both the fine point stylus and the broad stylus were handmade from dental drill bits.
In the circle around the rose bloom, you’ll see that the shadow is heavier at the top left. That’s where the light source is located on every airbrushed Dmart design. A line is scratched around the entire carving to simulate the light reflected by the edge of the polish on each v-line. After zooming out, the highlights are almost imperceptible, but it’s one of the small things that makes Dmart presentations special.
Like carving, lettering, and all other aspects of a drawing, panels were first drawn by pencil on tracing paper using a triangle and T-square. After drawings were created and refined on trac-ing paper, a pencil was rubbed on the back of the tracing allowing a carbon paper-like transfer of the design to scratch board.
Inking was the first thing to be done on the scratch board. Panels and other lines drawn with logarithmic and French curves were drawn with a fine pen while smaller, tighter curves and letters were inked with a very fine camel hairbrush.
Letters were transferred from the original drawing onto scratch board and a fine camel hair-brush was used to create a light gray letter. Ink was diluted with water to match the shade of gray on all other Dmart designs. After the light gray wash dried, a darker gray was applied on the left side of every part of the letters to create a V-like appearance with the light source lo-cated at the top left. A stylus was used to scratch a highlight on the right side of the letters where light would catch the edge of the frosted surface.
Reflections were always applied to the polished tops of bases to simulate the mirror-like polish. In the design on the left of this image, the carving ends at the joint. This section of the frosted top of the base was masked off while polish was applied. When the mask was re-moved, the carving appeared to reflect on the polished top of the base.
The right sides of monuments and bases were always airbrushed and scratched to show reflec-tive polish.
The rock pitch on the right side of the base is slightly darker than the rock pitch on the front of the base, and the rock pitch on the side of the monument is slightly darker than the rock pitch on top of the monument. Like all other aspects of a Dmart design, everything was created with a light source located at the top left.
In the late 80s and early 90s all Design Mart designs were digitized, and available for sale. De-sign Mart was the first company to provide CAD artwork independent of a purchased CAD sys-tem. Designs were available for all systems on the market. Until then, retail monument com-panies with CAD systems were limited to the design selection provided by the CAD seller, and those monument designs were formatted so they were only compatible with that system. De-sign Mart provided formats that could be read by all CAD and illustration programs on the mar-ket. Suddenly, retailers had access to their favorite designs from the Design Mart books and brochures they had used for years.
Design Mart believes in giving back to the monument industry. Each year Design Mart hosts the retail monument students who enroll with the Elberton Granite Association. Retailers come from all over the United States to spend nearly a week in Elberton learning about gran-ite, monument production, and sales. Design Mart has been an EGA member since 1978 and are proud to give back to these students who have traveled so far to improve their knowledge and make themselves the best retail memorialists they can be.
In this photo, Joe Fernandez, founder of Design Mart, teaches one of the EGA’s retailer classes. This photo is from the late 70s or early 80s when monument images were still drawn by hand. Students were very interested in the many sketches, T-squares, curves, brushes, air brushes, and shades of ink required to make a design. In this photo to the right, Mike Fernandez, who purchased Design Mart in the 90s, demonstrates the Online Monument Designer to another generation of memorialists.
Design Mart’s mission is simple: Provide the monument industry’s retailers with the materials and support they need to serve grieving families - providing a personal, meaningful memorial for generations to come.
Design Mart looks forward to another 50 years and the Elberton Granite Association would like to congratulate Mike and his family for all of their accomplishments throughout the last 50 years!
Eagle Granite Company, Inc. Named Business of the Month by Elbert County Chamber of Commerce June 2019, The Elbert County Chamber of Commerce’s Community Pride Committee named Eagle Granite Company as the Chamber’s Business of the Month. Eagle Granite has been a voting member-firm of the Elberton Granite Association since 1962 when the company began its operation.
Shown are (front L-R) Jill McElroy, Elliott Paul, Jan Walters and Bob Paul. On the back row are Bill Brown, Nick Fleischer, Leslie Friedman and Chris Kubas.
Congratulations Eagle Granite Company! Johnson Machine Shop Built Large
One-Piece Gantry Saw Steve Johnson and the staff of Johnson Machine Shop have fabricated a massive new one-piece gantry saw, designed to cut pieces of granite, sandstone, limestone and other products. The saw features a blade that tilts to allow for up to 90º angle cuts. The saw is easy to operate and has variable speeds along with a hand held cordless remote. The saw can handle cuts as deep as 9” and 12’ long. This massive machine can be put in place in less than an hour as the machine has very little installation required.
Wilson Industrial Electric Fabricates
Massive Rip and Chop Saw LineWilson Industrial Electric, Inc. held nothing back when they made this massive Rip and Chop Saw Line. The saw line consists of one-six head Wilson Rip Saw and two Wilson Chop Saws along with seventeen separate conveyors. All the blades used in the line are 20-inch diameter and can cut up to six-inch thick slabs of granite.
In the operation of the machine, the slabs of granite or stone are loaded at the surfacer end and automatically feed through. The surfacer mills the slab to the desired thickness. The slabs are then automatically moved to the six head rip saw where they are cut into strips. The saw can be set up to cut a variety of widths by positioning the blades horizontally as well as verti-cally. After this process is complete the strips will then progress automatically to the transfer conveyor. Each operator of the 2 chop saws can then “call” for a slab and it will be diverted to one saw or the other and will wait in a que to be cut to length.
This machine was built for Mezger Stone, a customer in Lueders, Texas.
Travco Creates New Machine To Turn Granite Blocks
Travis and his team at Travco Metal Works have, yet again, thought outside the box and creat-ed a new machine to help with the struggles of turning a block of granite. This machine espe-cially comes in handy after that block has been sawn into slabs (shown below). The slabs can all be put onto the machine and turned at once, saving the time, effort and risk of breakage. The machine rotates inside the cradle allowing the stone to be turned to the desired level. The controller is mounted along the wall a few feet away ensuring that the employee is out of range. This machine can turn as much as 40 tons of granite at once.
Porcelains Unlimited Masters Special Shaped Grand Panels
Porcelains Unlimited, a member of the Elberton Granite Association, continues to grow and add new and phenomenal abilities to their ever-growing list of capabilities. Recently they com-bined their ability to create custom shaped panels and grand panels. They now offer the ability to make custom shaped grand panels! This gives the customer the ability to incorporate with their shaped monument, with a vibrant full color porcelain panel. With two to three weeks turn-around, this is sure to become a popular must-have. The panels can be made up to 90” x 35” and shaped according to the customer’s desire.
Matthews Granite Introduces Their New Legacy EstatesTM Mausoleum Program
May of this year, Matthews Granite, a division of Matthews International unrolled their Legacy EstatesTM collection. The full-service program was designed to help cemeteries close more family estate sales with its turnkey suite of capabilities to design, build and install family es-tates. Legacy Estates is led by longtime granite industry experts and begins with initial plan-ning and detailed design drawings. This is followed by delivery and installation, managed by the Matthews’ team. Matthews Granite offers a wide variety of stone colors and finishes along with styles and layouts.
Legacy Estates are designed as unique as the families for which they are built for and stand as elegant testaments to lives well lived. Matthews Granite’s team has been trained to work through every step of the process - from concept through final installation - to ensure that a one-of-a-kind tribute is created. Many unique options are available. Matching and complimen-tary granite features such as a patio tile, planters, benches, pedestals and vases add a personal touch.
The Legacy EstatesTM program can be ordered through both Matthews Granite location and Star Granite & Bronze location.
Miles Supply of Elberton Now Sells Downflo® Workstation Dust Collectors
Miles Supply of Elberton Now Sells Downflo® Workstation Dust Collectors. There is often a need for air filtration in plants. Miles Supply found a solution to offer. The Dust Collector Down-flo® WorkStations fit anywhere on the plant floor and apply NO restrictions to worker move-ments or visibility. The full line of WorkStations is designed specifically for those in-plant areas where dirty and/or noisy operations are out in the open—grinding, sanding, chipping, batch mixing or welding.
The Downflo WorkStation’s advantages are found in the collector’s exclusive design and propri-etary components. Featuring a ledgeless design in combination with proprietary Ultra-Web® filter media and ExtraLife™ cleaning technology, the DWS delivers exceptional performance in metalworking, woodworking, and process applications where high filtration efficiency and ledgeless construction is often a requirement.
The Downflo Workstation offers a flexible and modular self-contained workstation. Its unique oval-shaped cartridge filters provide higher filtration efficiency and longer filter life with quick and easy access to the filters. There are no tools required to access them. This workflo station offers a patented ExtraLifeTM Filter Cleaning System that cleans with low compressed air pressure of 50 psi. The airflow capacity ranges from 4500 up to 22,000 cubic feet per minute. The filter has shorter and stiffer filter pleats that help to minimize dust entrapment and sim-plify filter cleaning. By reducing the height of the filter pleats from the standard 2 inches to 1.5 inches, the pleat wall is less likely to collapse or bend, which provides a stronger pleat struc-ture with improved cleaning and dust release capabilities.
Glass Art Honors Last Surviving Medal of Honor Recipient From World War II
Hershel “Woody” Williams is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II and is the Chairman of the Hershel “Woody” Williams Foundation to honor “Gold Star” fami-lies who have lost a loved one in the line of battle. The foundation is responsible for erecting the Gold Star Memorial Monuments across the country. To date there are 51 monuments which have been dedicated with 64 additional monuments in progress representing a total of 42 states in which they currently have a footprint.
Recently, Woody was presented with a plaque from Glass Art Imaging engraved on Elberton Blue granite commemorating his dedication to the effort of his ideals and remembering the sacrifices by the surviving families. He extended an invitation to George Arnold and Tim Bron-leewe of Glass Art Imaging/OM Stone in a celebration of Woody’s life and efforts at the Ma-rine Barracks in Washington DC. They were treated to a show from the US Marine Corp band and a “Silent Guard” demonstration at the original location of the Marine Corp, constructed under Thomas Jefferson’s presidency in 1801.
On February 21, 1945, Woody landed on the beach with the 1st Battalion, 21st Marines. Wil-liams distinguished himself two days later when American tanks, trying to open a lane for in-fantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes. Williams went forward alone with his 70-pound (32 kg) flamethrower to attempt the reduction of devastating machine gun-fire from the unyielding positions.
Covered by only four riflemen, he fought for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flame throwers. He returned to the front, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. At one point, a wisp of smoke alerted him to the air vent of a Japa-nese bunker, and he approached close enough to put the nozzle of his flamethrower through the hole, killing the occupants. On another occasion, he was charged by enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets, and he killed them with a burst of flame from his weap-on.
These actions occurred on the same day that two flags were raised on Mount Suribachi, and Williams, about one thousand yards away from the volcano, was able to witness the event. He fought through the remainder of the five-week-long battle even though he was wounded on March 6 in the leg by shrapnel, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.
Glass Art Imagining was honored to be invited to be a part of all of the ceremony and to award Woody with their commemorative plaque.
E.G.A. Hosts Japanese Sister City
This year brought with it another successful fun-filled time with the Elberton-Mure Cho Sister City Program. The Elberton Granite Association was honored yet again to participate in ensur-ing that the six young men and women from Japan were both entertained and educated while here in The Granite Capital of the World. The students along with their chaperone and their Elberton counterparts spent their days filled with trips, tours and fun! They spent time visiting the Georgia Aquarium and Richard B. Russell Dam and lake along with a stop at UGA Bulldog’s Sanford Stadium, Watson Mill Bridge State Park and watched a Gwinnett Stripers game! The group spent the other part of their trip on a tour with EGA’s Executive Vice President, Chris Ku-bas touring the Georgia Guidestones along with a visit to Beaverdam Quarry. At the quarry the students saw firsthand how granite is quarried from the earth’s depths and lifted in blocks to be sent to the manufacturing plants. They also spent time at the Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit where they saw the history of how pioneers in the days of old developed the methods of quarrying and manufacturing granite and the tools that they used to get those jobs done. The time spent in this program is always beneficial and educational to both Elberton and Mure Cho students in learning not only the different ways that granite is manufactured but in learn-ing the culture of both places. These are memories and lessons the students will likely never forget.
Three 2019 Seniors Receive $1,000 Scholarships!
Each year, EGA gives three scholarships to local graduating seniors to help further their educa-tion and life goals. Two of the seniors are from Elbert County Comprehensive High School and one is from Oglethorpe County High School. The students must meet a certain criterion consist-ing of academic excellence and outstanding leadership qualities. Since 1966, the Elberton Granite Association has awarded scholarships on behalf of its members and each year be-comes more and more of an honor.
Representing Oglethorpe County High School was Stacy Taylor. Stacy will be attending Athens Technical College on the Elberton, Georgia campus. Stacy wants to obtain his CDL license and drive tractor trailer trucks.
One student representing Elbert County Comprehensive High School is Aubrey Scarborough. Aubrey will be attending Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. Aubrey will be working to-ward her degree in Biology in the College of Science/Mathematics. Aubrey wants to become a nurse when her schooling is complete.
The second student to represent Elbert County Comprehensive High School is Stone Crook. Stone will be attending the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Stone will be studying either Engineering or Business.
Stacy Taylor
Oglethorpe County High School
Aubrey Scarborough
Elbert County Comprehensive High School
Stone Crook
Elbert County Comprehensive High School
From A Thought to A Reality.
The process of creating this monument began with nothing more than a drawing. Once the design was decided upon, the process of selecting the perfect blocks of marble came to begin creating this magnificent monument. Sandblasting and carving commenced on the separate pieces. Once the pieces were perfectly crafted and carved the monument was pre-assembled in the warehouse to see what finishing touches needed made. Once the monument was ready to go and approved it was crated up and shipped to its final location. At the cemetery, the monument was lifted and constructed on-site.
River Edge Granite Company created
this magnificent family monument
located in Town Creek Baptist Cemetery
in White County, Georgia. The monument is
made from Flash Black granite. The die is all polished with a serp top and features a unique custom etching of a
landscape framed by trees along the front. The die sits upon a six
foot base that features a beautiful bevel front with rock pitched nosing and
rock pitched edges. The base holds the names and dates along with an etched pair of
cardinals above the wedding date. Two turned vases sit on each side of the monument. The most amount of detail in this monument was most assuredly in the crea-tion and laying of the coping. The lot sits upon a not-so-gradual slope. The coping is custom made to fit the hillside making some of the pieces up to 20-inches tall. This allows the monu-ment and foot stones a level ground to sit upon. Under the base of this monument rests a foundation base to ensure that the monument has a firm foundation to keep it stable and level
for all the generations to come. Great job to a company that puts their heart into all they do. This family monument was created by Pyramid Materials for a member of their own extended family. The monument is polished on the front and back with rock pitch along the edges and features the family name on each side. The beautiful ledgers were created with care and sandblasted with the loved ones’ names and dates. Mr. Eason’s ledger features an image of three trees on a hill. This was to symbolize his 35 years in the forestry industry and his love for spending time in the woods. The Circle of Life Tree on Mrs. Eason’s ledger is to symbolize that her family is her life and how important the love of family is. Let us never forget that we can tell an entire story with just one well-thought-out image. This monument is located in Omega Cemetery in Baxley, Georgia.
Dixie Granite Company was put to the task of creating this everlasting memorial for Herstead Monument Company in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The monument was cut into the shape of a cas-tle and polished on all sides, with care. The base of the monument features a polished, squared bevel with an epitaph sandblasted onto it. The base has a polished top with rock pitched edges. This monument can be found in the Fairview Cemetery in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
Brownstone Memorials, Inc. worked with Carter Memorials out of Seguin, Texas in making this beautiful monument a reality for them. Brownstone worked with their customer and found the perfect block of Standard Blue granite. Saw and chisel marks were left on the monument to add realism to the design that the customer envisioned. It never ceases to amaze, the many ways that Elberton granite can be transformed and crafted into such unique images to fit every need. This monument can be found in Stockdale Cemetery in Stockdale, Texas. To everyone in-volved in this one-of-a-kind memorial’s creation, great job!
Keystone Memorials, Inc. crafted this beautiful monument for Goose Ridge Monuments locat-ed in Bozeman, Montana. The monument is crafted out of Wausau Red granite and is unique in many ways. The front face of the monument is slanted allowing the sides to angle
and show the CNC relief carving artwork on each side. The family
name is polished square raised letters
inside a 1” deep panel.
This monument was crafted for a pioneer and internationally recognized leader in digital communications. Mr. Gilhousen will be remembered most for the invention of CDMA communications technology for cell phones. Keystone Memorials, Inc. created this stunning monument for Hope Haven Marble & Granite in Gonzales, Louisiana. The monument is made with two half serp top dies with a vase and pedestal in between sitting atop a beautiful base. The dies are polished on two sides with rock pitch accenting the edges. The vase features polish on the front, back and top with rock pitch sides, sitting atop an all polished pedestal. The base is polished on the top and front with rock pitch along all other edges.
Quality Monument Sales, Inc. did a truly outstanding job creating this monument. Utilizing the artistic designs of fellow EGA Member-Firm A.Q. Stone Design Company, they worked togeth-er to create a monument that will hold honor for centuries to come. The monument is all pol-ished with sandblasted
and carved design. A contrasting
jet black sub base was added
with the family name which
sits atop a base with a
beveled front. Glass Art Imaging and L & M Granite Company worked together to fabricate and complete this beautiful memorial. The flat marker monument itself has a polished top with rock pitched edges and sawn bottom. After the granite was shaped into the flat marker it was sent to Glass Art imaging where almost the entire top of the granite was etched with a bright and vibrant scene of a fox frolicking along the beach. Glass Art incorporated into the scene, all of Mrs. Bonwell’s information along with a beautiful black and white photograph and crosses. This memorial shows how in today’s world, there is a wide array of ways to accom-plish a mission and to think “outside of the box” for our loved ones. Mrs. Bonwell loved the beach and spent her summers there. L & M Granite Company and Glass Art did a great job at working together to create a memorial that her family will treasure for generations to come.
Southern Mausoleums, Inc.
can always be counted on to
create the finest mausoleums
for their customers. From
elaborate design to
sophisticated simplicity, they
never fail. This impressive
two crypt side-by-side
mausoleum is a fine
example. It was created
for WA Hartman Memorials
in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The base was increased
in size to 12-inches in height
and given a dropwash while the
top was given an elegant gable. This
design is loaded from the rear leaving the front
to be one solid piece. Matthews Granite, a division of Matthews International custom built this beautiful, stately mausoleum. Square planters sit atop the first step which leads to the entry way. Atop the second step are two round turned columns framing the bronze door. The rustic all rocked finish of this building makes this turn of the century design stand out. Large raised letters highlight the entry way from above. The personalized patio features a center tile with the letter “H” and is outlined with contrasting Everlasting Blue granite. This mausoleum holds six crypts and can be found in Naples Memorial Gardens in Naples, Florida. Matthews Granite recently rolled out their Legacy Estates designs, of which, this is a part of. This mausoleum is an exceptional example of how complimentary granite features such as a patio tile, planters, benches, pedestals and vases along with an array of different texture options add a personal touch that honors the life of a loved one.
As U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered the development of a Space Shuttle program and the United States returned Okinawa back to Japan, four young gentlemen in Elberton, Georgia graduated high school with the mindset of making something of themselves and their commu-nity.
These young men stepped out of high school and began a road of entrepreneurship. John Campbell, David Giannoni, Stan Mills, and Randy Smith continue to help the Elberton area thrive through Dixie Granite Company, South Ridge Granite Quarries, L & M Granite Company, and Central Granite.
Forty-Seven years later, the companies are still running strong and growing through the guid-ance of these gentlemen who decided that it was time to give even more to their community. John Campbell of Dixie Granite Company approached Elberton City Councilman, Carey Butler about developing a sitting park outside of Elberton’s Granite Bowl where members of the community can sit and relax in the shade of the crepe myrtle trees. The park is located on Col-lege Avenue near the public parking lot outside of the Granite Bowl.
The benches were each made by their respective company and donated to the city. Dixie Gran-ite Company and Central Granite Company then set the benches on the foundation that the city of Elberton formed for them. The benches are each made from world-famous Elberton Granite and sandblasted with “Class of 1972” along with the company name.
The Elberton Granite Association is always proud of its member-firms; for without them, the granite industry could not thrive as it does. It is through their hard work and dedication that El-berton, Georgia can continue to claim the name “Granite Capital of the World”. Great job, gen-tlemen and as always, the EGA thanks you for sharing with your community and always sup-porting the growth of the granite industry. The benches are a great tribute to some excellent role models to our younger generations.
In the summer issue of the Graniteer, the Georgia Discovery Wall inside the State Botanical Gardens in Athens, Georgia was featured. That wall is part of a children’s play area named Al-ice H. Richards Children’s Garden and served as an entrance attraction to the rest of the play area. Just beyond the wall is 2.5 acres of interactive fun with granite. The children’s garden opened to the public March 23rd of 2019 and has been a brilliant hit with children and adults alike ever since. It is like an outdoor classroom that grabs a young mind and guides it through Georgia’s natural resources including granite. Willis Dimension Stone worked with the Univer-sity of Georgia and the State Botanical Gardens, along with their architects to bring this vision to life. Large rustic granite blocks were individually hand-picked and chosen out of the quarry to create the children’s sand play and water wall areas. Random rubble was selected to be used to build up the seat walls and bench tops throughout areas of the garden. Different textures of granite are used in the children’s garden such as polished, thermal, honed, quarry split, rock pitched, water jet, sandblast and frosted. This allows the imagination of children to experience all the possibilities granite has to offer. Efforts were made to keep the design of the garden as close to a natural habitat as possible. Dale Willis stated, “It gives us great pleasure to see that all the designing, planning & fabrication came together to create this very interactive and edu-cational granite display that children and adults can relate to.”
Majestic Granite Company worked to create this beautiful pedestal and base for Schultz Mon-ument Company in Madison, Tennessee. The monument is located at Ivers Square in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and honors all USCT Troops of the Civil War. This monument was unveiled and dedicated on June 8, 2019 at the sight that served as the headquarters for the Union occu-pation forces in 1861-1865. There were 240 African American men who enlisted for the Civil War at the location where the statue stands between 1863-1865.
The granite base and pedestal were fabricated from beautiful Majestic Blue granite with all sawn edges. The base features a 4-inch drop wash. Jenson Etching is always pushing the boundaries to see exactly how far they can excel in their profession. The team recently laser etched this beautiful American flag waving across a stone cut from Dakota Mahogany granite. The concept of etching on anything other than black granite is a day of the past when you mas-ter your capabilities as well as they have. The large grain in the Dakota Mahogany is complete-ly blended in underneath the etching of the flag. The artists at their business are like family and they each work hard to make sure that every stone they handle is completed in the abso-lute best way it can.
Keystone Memorials, Inc. is notorious for their high quality and stylish monuments. Whether the monuments are personal memorials, public or war memorials they always have a bit of added class to them. This stunning display is no exception. These monuments are to honor the 14th Cavalry Regiment and are located at Patton Park in Fort Benning, Georgia. Keystone worked with Columbus Monument Company in Columbus, Georgia. The monuments are made from Galaxy Jet Black granite and feature a bright contrast of painted sandblasting and laser etching. Jenson Etching worked diligently to ensure that every photograph and every word was etched to perfection on each piece.
The center monument features a cap with a color regiment crest sandblasted onto the front and crossed sabers sandblasted and painted on the back. The front of the center monument is etched with images that show the growth of the 14th Cavalry Regiment from
horseback used beginning 1901 to present day tanks and heavy machinery. This magnificent monument sits atop a base that is all polished with angled ends. It has inscribed upon it “SUIVEZ MOI (FOLLOW ME).
The memorial was subdivided into five segments of the unit’s history, from their mounted days from 1901 to 1942 when the unit took part in the Philippines Campaign and the Mexican Puni-tive Expedition; through their participation in World War II beginning with their landing at Omaha Beach, through the Battle of the Bulge and their capture of the Ludendorf Bridge; their transformation from 1945 to 1948 as the 14th Constabulary Regiment, their time spent in Germany from 1948 to 1972 in support of U.S. efforts in the Cold War; and their current period from reactivation in 2000 to their seven deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom to the present day.
The five satellite posts are topped with post-9/11 guidon shaped caps that were sandblasted and
painted on one side and laser
etched with details of the
different periods of history
on the backs. Each post is
also laser etched with
images of soldiers in that
time period carrying out
their missions. The posts are
all polished with straight
taper sides.
Image
laser etched
on one of the
satellite pole with
the original photo for
comparison purposes Jupiter, Florida Florida Monument Builders Association
Top Left: Stacy Drake of Granite Sales & Supply Company and Don Ray of the Florida Monu-ment Builders Association
Top Right: Mary Lou Lindquiest of Matthews International and Ann Menor, Lake Worth, FL
Bottom Left: Tanner Lewis with Porcelains Unlimited
Bottom Right: Steve Cantrell, Palm Harbor, FL and Mike Beri of Bicknell Supply Company Left - Right: Powell Helm, Bradenton, FL, Quinn & Tammy Floyd, A.Q. Stone Design Company, and KJ & Kevin Cantrell, Palm Harbor, FL
Left - Right: Bryan Stephenson, Leesburg, FL, Powell Helm, Bradenton, FL, Mike & Jeda Beri, Bicknell Supply Company, Ryan Daube, Gainesville, FL, and Charles Valentine, Old Town, FL
Left - Right: Freddie & Fred Menor, Lake Worth, FL, Jake and Chrissy Smith, Central Granite Company, Ann Menor, Lake Worth, and Eric Letter, Ft. Myers, FL
Left - Right: Gena Harvard, Ocala, FL, Tonia Wallace, Wallace Granite Sales, Ann Menor, Lake Worth, FL, Scott Harward, Ocala, FL Freddie & Fred Menor, Lake Worth, FL, Eric Letter, Ft. My-ers, FL, Roger Wallace, Wallace Granite Sales, and Bryan Stephenson, Leesburg, FL
Corpus Christie, Texas
MAMBA Mid-America Monument Builders Association Matt Snow, Clarksville, AR and
Brady Turner with Miles Supply(L-R) Josh Trimble, Clay Center, KS, Stacey Drake Granite Sales & Supply, and Beth and Teddy Foster, Brookland, AR Top Left: (L-R) Leslie & Dylan Turpin, Bick-nell Supply Company and Jed & Debbie Hendrickson, Santa Barbara, CA
Top Right: Stacey Drake, Granite Sales & Supply Corporation and Jason Campbell, Provencal, LA
Middle Left: Omar Fajardo, San Antonio, TX and Brady Turner, Miles Supply of Elberton
Middle Right (L-R) Paul & Rhoda Alberton, Henry & Henry Trucking and Judy & Ed Anderson, Ada, OK
Bottom: (L-R) Jonathan Evans, Pyramid Materials and Shirley & Billy Welch, Uvalde, TX (L-R) Zach Simpson, Rachel Dunard and Debbie Thurman, Troy, MO, Bob Nelson, St. Joseph, MO, Brent Holt, Keystone Memorials
(L-R) Teresa and Rick Robertson, Henry & Henry, and Carleen Weize
and John Wilcox, Sapula, OK (L-R) Teddy and Beth Foster, Brookland, AR, Michael and April Hughes, Bicknell Supply Company, Becca and Brody Foster, Brookland, AR (L-R) Brody and Bec-ca Foster, Brookland, AR, Brady Turner, Miles Supply, and Beth and Teddy Foster, Brookland, AR
(L-R) Matt and Christy Snow, Clarksville, AR, and Jonathan, Michael, Ayden and Breanna Evans, Pyramid Materials
(Above L-R) Jeff Owens and Becky Guilian, Farmington, MO, Lilly Dunard, Zach Simpson, Rachel and Jason Dunard, Ally Dunard, Debbie Thurman, and William Dunard, Troy, MO, Brent Holt, Keystone Memorials, Inc., Glen Whitener, Kennett, MO, Josh and Melissa Bell, Beloit, KS, Te-resa and Billy Joslen, Carthage, MO, Ruth Bell, Beloit, KS, Bill and Sue Joslen, Carthage, MO, Janet Clark, and Josh Trimble, Clay Center, KS, Susan and Steve Gillihan, Poplar Bluff, MO.
(L-R) Steve Hoffman and Nathan Hughes, Independence, MO, Michael Hughes, Bicknell Supply Company, Steve Gillihan, Poplar Bluff, MO, and Thad Cooper, Independence, MO
(L-R) Mike Vernum, Justin, Roger and Debbie Ahold, Washington, MO, Michael and Miku Zecca, Magnum, OK, Tony and Marla Scarborough, Granite, OK, Teresa and Rick Robertson, Henry & Henry, Glen Whitener, Kennett, MO, Charles and Deborah Mckenzie with grandchildren Nicho-las and Ithyca, Batesville, AR
Date:
2019
Year:
2 019
Season:
Fall