The North Carolina Mason

September/October 2019 The North Carolina Mason Page 9 Brother Michael Verville, Junior Deacon at Eagle #19, is a true operative stonemason. He works with drywall and plaster in his own construction business, but takes it a step further: he is active in the restoration of historic markers – everything from small tombstones to monuments weighing several hundred pounds. While attending graduate school at UNC-Greensboro, he enrolled in an historic preservation field school taught by restoration craftsman Dean Ruedrich, with whom he later apprenticed. Most of Michael's clients are municipalities, historic groups such as the Daughter of the American Revolution, and private individuals. Brother Michael said he finds it a real challenge working with ''distressed'' tombstones and monu- ments, restoring them to enhance the patina and beauty, and minimize the damage from years and weather. is past spring, Michael received a scholarship from the Preservation Trade Network, an organization that provides education for those who preserve historic buildings. e award allowed him to attend a summer program presented by Historic Environment Scotland at the Engine Shed in Stirling, Scot- land, northwest of Edinburgh. e Engine Shed is a building- conservation center and a hub for profes- sionals and the general public. Michael spent the first week of June attending lectures and workshops and visiting historic sites to learn the latest methods for historic stone preservation. Before returning home, he had the opportu- nity to travel to the west coast town of Kilwin- ning. ere he visited Masonic Lodge #0, the Mother Lodge of Scotland, and was treated to a tour of the lodge and its museum by Past Master David Kirk. Michael recently returned after a two-week stint in New Bern, brought in at the request of the City of New Bern and the Craven County Questers to repair a 19th century tabletop monument and several marble headstones and he is currently involved with a variety of projects at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Cary. Michael said that one of the most challenging aspects of restoring historic monuments is sourcing materials that will make a repair strong enough to last for a few hundred years without harming the original historic material. "I've done my job well when a year or two after the repairs, the average person would be hard- pressed to find my work." Brotherhood Spotlight Verville preserving history in real time STIRLING, Scotland – Everything old is new again – with help from restoration expert Brother Michael Verville of Eagle #19. countries, including Russia, China and Persia (now Iran). ey belonged to lodges no longer in exis- tence, but with interesting names: Tally Ho #393, Big Lick #475, Buggaboo #490 and Bee Log #548. As for interesting names, there were plenty of those, too: A deceased brother whose last name was Pinchback, and those with first names Judithan and Septimus. en there was Brother Price E. Ford (say it quickly, Chevy faithful). ere were initiation fees as low as $5 (Red Springs #501) and as relatively steep as the $60 charged in 1931 by Charlotte's Phalanx #31 — a figure that in 2019 would equate to $936. en there was the eternal optimist of a lodge secretary, who recorded this on a brother's card in the slot for his wife's name. "No wife — as yet." CARDTURK from page 8 ANNUAL from page 2 the North Carolina Masonic Foundation. e "Keep the Promise" video was created to honor the brothers who have given so much to support our two homes, and to ask them to keep the homes in their hearts and their giving plans, said Jeff Hensley, chief development officer of the foundation. As the video, which featured WB Gene Lewellyn and MHCO graduate Devante Hicks, ended, Grand Master Sigmon took the stage and announced that in October, he will send a letter to every Mason reminding him of his charitable obliga- tion. "Regardless of age each of us are only a breath or two away from being that person Worshipful Brother Gene mentioned when an illness or unfortunate circumstance can put you in desperate situa- tions. If that happens to me, I sure hope the Masons of this fraternity are there for me. We made a promise," he said. "We have hundreds if not thousands of more children to help. Most of us cannot truly imagine the difficult situations that some of these children face in their daily lives. "Be proud to aid and assist in providing them a better tomorrow in order for them to become responsible adults, become parents, and leaders of their communities like Devante. "We made a promise."

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