The 2021 Masonry Hall of Fame Presented By SOLA

Editor's Note: This year, the MCAA is inducting four new members into the Masonry Hall of Fame. Meet the 2021 Masonry Hall of Fame inductees Eugene Johnson, Jim O'Connor, Paul Odom, and Teddy Jenkins. They will be officially inducted next month at the MCAA's Midyear Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Learn more about these industry legends and join us in congratulating them.

Eugene Johnson 

Eugene Johnson, the son of Emanuel B. and Floria W. Johnson, was born in Holly Hill, SC where he also attended public school.  His love for masonry blossomed in 1967 as a sophomore in high school where he began to learn the art of the trade. Upon his graduation from high school in 1969, he furthered his studies at Denmark Technical College in Denmark SC. After obtaining his Associate’s degree, he worked ten years in the industry before beginning his teaching career in 1980. Once he began teaching, he enrolled in South Carolina State College to further his education in completing his Bachelor’s Degree. Until his retirement in 2018, Eugene has provided instruction and evaluation to nearly 1,800 students (40-50 annually) throughout his 37-year career. Among his many accomplishments, he has instructed fifteen (15) first-place winners on the district level, ten (10) second place, and one (1) first place on the state level in 1999. Eugene’s affiliations include NCCER Certified Instructor, SkillsUSA Advisor, National Skills Masonry Competition judge, and Masonry Skills Challenge. He previously served as President of the National Masonry Instructors Association and is currently serving as Secretary.  Eugene is the husband of Gloria Johnson; father of Anthony, Sr. and Bridgette; and grandfather of Ty’Laysia, Aubriauna, Anthony Jr., Kimari, and Jayron.

Jim O’Connor 

Jim O'Connor is literally a construction project built from the ground floor up. His father, "James P. O'Connor Sr." worked at Beck Brick for almost 40 years and brought a young Jim into the industry as a teenager. He worked weekends there in the brickyard and immediately developed a great rapport with customers and the staff.

In the wise words of Ben Hogan. "The most important shot in golf is the next one." This philosophy has been seen in every aspect of Jim's professional career as well. His college summers were spent laboring for some of the most respected union contractors in the industry. Jim's passion for Masonry continued when he was offered and accepted the position of Executive Secretary of the Mason Contractors Association of Greater Chicago over thirty years ago. His primary goal was then and is still to this day,  to strengthen the relationship between union administrators, union contractors, and bricklayers toward the common end goal of creating a solid and well-built finished project.

Anyone that knows him, knows that he loves a challenge and rises to the occasion when the opportunity presents itself. His drive, his determination, and his perseverance, are all modestly hidden in a guys-guy exterior, beneath his jokes, his sports stories, and his openly friendly personality. He is a person that always makes time to do the right thing.

His current successes and affiliations include:

• International Masonry Institute - Board Member (1st noncontractor)

• International Council of Employers to B.A.C. (1st non-contractor) 

• Trustee of the Illinois Masonry Institute Promotion Trust/Masonry Advisory Council

• Illinois Structural Masonry Coalition -Founding Member & Board Member

• MARBA - Committees  Negotiations with the Bricklayers, Laborers, and Operating Engineer

• Lead Negotiator for Marble Setters and Marble Finishers for Chicago Marble and Granite Dealers Assoc

• On Bricklayer's LMCC Board

Jim's tireless energy has renewed the industry through his fundraising efforts allowing for these promotional dollars to be set aside to create general awareness for masonry and expand the industries efforts through education (architects, engineers, contractors, building officials, etc.), free technical support, conversion of projects to masonry,  promotion, and ordinance work. He's a pretty decent golfer if the wind direction is good on that particular day. In fact, he is one of the few people that doesn't waste an opportunity to subliminally carry out his masonry work message on the golf course. I'm proud to not only call him my friend but to have had the honor to work alongside him for the past 21 years.

Paul Odom

No one can ever say that Paul Odom sits on his hands.  He has always worked hard.  Through high school shop class, he became skilled and interested in carpentry and in 1976 started attending Tarleton State University with the goal of becoming a shop teacher. Although he still loves carpentry and it is still a hobby for him today, he wanted more and chose a different career path and went to work for Lee Masonry, a local masonry contractor in Hamilton, Texas in 1979. It was here that he started at the bottom as a laborer and quickly was put into the apprenticeship program through the union. However, it was the masons he worked with as a laborer starting out that instilled the foundation of pride in your work and giving it your all every day that Paul still carries with him today.  It was also these masons that Paul worked with that mentored him and ignited the passion for masonry to lead him to where he stands today. In 1980, he married Susie and, together, the two started saving from side projects that Paul did on the weekends around Central Texas, planning to one day start their own company. After completing his apprenticeship, and working as a mason, he quickly moved up in the company, becoming an estimator in 1983. In 1986, he went to work with Nelms Masonry, where he was a foreman for a brief time. 

In May 1987, Paul and Susie officially started P and S Masonry with their first big project at Fort Hood, Texas. Paul ran the projects with Susie managing the office and finances. Together, they grew the company into a business with a reputation for quality and safety across Central Texas. They prided themselves with having the best team members and the company’s slogan ran true: “Our employees make the difference”. With their amazing team, P and S Masonry has left a lasting mark throughout the state, building many of the masonry projects at Fort Hood, the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, and public schools across central Texas. In June 2014, P and S Masonry partnered with Brazos Masonry to create the joint-venture, Legacy Masonry, where he and Susie are still active today. 

Early on, Paul joined the MCAA and Texas Masonry Council (TMC), always finding benefit from attending meetings and educational events. He believed that you should never stop learning and the networking he did with contractors across the state and nation always drove him to think outside the box and try to find the most efficient ways for his crews to be productive, whether by additional training, technology, or equipment.  

Paul was one of the founding members of the Central Texas Masonry Contractors Association (CTMCA). He has served on numerous boards and committees for CTMCA, TMC, and MCAA throughout his 40 plus years in the industry. He has served multiple terms as president of both CTMCA and the TMC. He has always been a passionate and active member in the legislative and workforce development committees at both the state and local associations.  Paul and Susie have attended the MCAA Legislative Conference and the Texas Subcontractor Association Walk on the Capitol throughout the decades to advocate for subcontractors both in Texas and across the nation.  He still participates in TMC’s Masonry Days, a program designed to help promote masonry to future architects across the state.  In 2010, Paul completed all the necessary education requirements and passed the test to become among the first of the nationally certified MCAA mason contractors in Texas. 

In 2012, he became part of the executive board for MCAA, climbing through the different offices to serve as chairman in 2018 and 2019.  He and Susie traveled the country attending MCAA, NCMA, and regional masonry association meetings during his time as vice chair and chairman. Through the years, they have built bonds and made many lifelong friendships. They have been long-time advocates that contractors can gain much from being active members of their local, state, and national masonry associations. They know that the MCAA slogan “Together, We are stronger” is true. 

Beyond his professional life in the industry, he’s remained a dedicated husband, father to 3 kids, and “YaYa” to 5 grandchildren.  A true family businessman, he continues to work with Susie in the masonry business, while his daughter, Liz, and son-in-law, Brian run Spec Rents, an equipment company specializing in Hydro Mobile and EZG Manufacturing across the state of Texas. 

In addition to his dedication to the masonry industry over the last 40 years, he has also been an active member of his community, serving as an elder to his church and a board member of Hamilton ISD, where he was part of the team that built the Hamilton High School in 2001.  Local projects such as the concession stands, town signs, and recreational facilities around town were built through P and S Masonry’s apprentice program which benefited the local community.  Most know Paul to be a kind, sharing, and funny man, who has been a great role model to many both professionally and personally.  He always believes that “it’s always right to do the right thing,” even when it’s not the easy, most profitable, or the popular thing to do.

Although Paul doesn’t get on the wall with his trowel as much as he’d probably like these days, he still refers to himself as an “artistic manipulator of the burnt clay product” and one of his favorite things to do is to help individuals learn the art of masonry.  A mentor, friend, leader, and masonry resource to so many, he has been a positive influence and great role model throughout the state and nation for the masonry industry and well deserving of a nomination to the Masonry Hall of Fame. 

Teddy Jenkins 

Teddy Jenkins was born in 1939 in Bakewell, Tennessee about 25 miles north of Chattanooga.   He graduated from Soddy Daisy High School in 1957 and attended Auburn University on a football scholarship, where he was a member of the 1957 National Championship team.  He also played baseball at Auburn.  In 1959 he decided to return home and marry his high school sweetheart, Marion Bashford, whom he is still married to after 59 years. While he was visiting the local college looking to enroll, he saw brick masons working on a building and knew that was what he wanted to pursue. A family friend who was a stonemason got him into the Bricklayer’s Local #6 apprentice program. Over the next few years, he worked with various contractors in the Chattanooga area and began to do side jobs on the weekends.  He partnered with Ed Johnson in the late 1960s focusing on residential work. A few years later, Teddy wanted to move into commercial work, so he started Teddy Jenkins Masonry with a couple of masons and laborers and began to do small commercial jobs.   

As the 70s turned to the 80s, he began to do larger multi-story projects, and the company grew to 15-20 employees. His oldest son, Jeff, joined the business in 1985 after graduating from college. In 1988, the company moved from a home office to a new office in Chattanooga, TN. The 1990s saw the company grow to employ around 40 men, and they completed several million-dollar projects. Teddy joined the Chattanooga Masonry Association (CMA), the Masonry Institute of Tennessee (MIT), and the MCAA in the late 70s.  He served as president, vice-president, and treasurer of the CMA.  He attended many MCAA conventions, and always looked forward to learning new ideas and methods he would see at the conventions.  His family is still active in these associations today.

In the mid-1990s, the CMA began a Masonry works in Public Art program, in which local artists would design a life-size 3- dimensional piece of art to be constructed of brick. These brick sculptures were strategically placed around Chattanooga to increase public awareness of the Masonry and Brick Industry.  One of the first projects was a brick couch that was built near the Aquarium in Chattanooga. Teddy got his trowel out and worked for two days on the most photographed couch in Chattanooga.  These public art projects continued for several years in Chattanooga featuring brick as an artistic medium.  

In summary, Teddy has served the Masonry Industry in many ways including:  training the future generations of masons, growing an ethical and quality business model, serving and leading within Industry organizations to promote and improve the masonry trade, and through civic contributions to his community.  We hereby nominate Teddy Jenkins to be considered as a member of the Masonry Hall of Fame.