Masonry Magazine March 1970 Page. 22
In Memoriam
JOSEPH N. LUCAS
A.A. Wire Products Co. of Chicago announces with profound sorrow the passing of Joseph N. Lucas, 51, on February 25, 1970, in Hammond, Ind. Mr. Lucas had been associated with the firm for approximately 20 years as director of research and was active in the development and marketing of many A.A. products.
He was a Fellow in the Construction Specifications Institute; a member of the Chicago Chapter of the American Society for Testing & Materials, member of the Tile Council of America, and a winner of the C. S. MacNair Award for outstanding contributions to the goals of that organization.
He was also director of the American Savings & Loan Association of Hammond, and a member of American Legion Casimir Pulaski Post No. 78 of East Chicago.
As an Army captain in World War II, he was retired as the result of wounds suffered in action, and for which he received the Purple Heart with clusters, and the Bronze and Silver Stars. Survivors are his wife, Lorette; three sons, Jim, Jack and Jeff, and a daughter, Jill.
MCAA and the entire Masonry Industry will greatly miss Joe's contagious enthusiasm for getting things done, as well as his vast knowledge of the construction field.
Tougher Masonry Blades
Omark Industries soon will offer tougher concrete and masonry diamond blades to the construction industry. According to William Thompson, U.S. marketing manager for Omark's Construction Tools Division, the blades will be toughened with a spray-on, wear-retarding chemical.
The chemical contains tungsten carbide and replaces a hard material brazed into diamond blades to form a wear-resistant core. The blade's cutting edges or segments are attached to the core.
The chemical which resembles powdered metal, will be sprayed on the core behind the diamond-impregnated segment, thus allowing the segment to utilize its full cutting life. All blades sold by Omark for asphalt, green concrete and heavy block-cutting applications will be treated with the chemical. The process will be standard on the blades.
New Record for Cement
Use of portland cement in the United States climbed to 399 million barrels in 1969 and will set a new record, according to preliminary estimates by the Portland Cement Association. This was two percent above 1968's 391 million barrels.
The modest increase reflected a 12 percent rise in total floor area of industrial and commercial construction, offset by an approximate six percent decline in residential single-family construction that fell from 901,000 units in 1968 to 840,000 units in 1969. Reduced Federal expenditures and higher mortgage interest rates, and larger down payments were among factors that held shipments to approximate 1968 levels.
The 1.5 million total housing starts, including apartments and mobile homes, were about 300,000 below Department of Commerce estimates for the year. Accordingly, cement use in residential construction dropped below the 1968 figure of 94 million barrels to 91 million barrels in 1969.
AED Elects Officers at 51st Annual Meeting
Leading AED towards accomplishment of new objectives are its 1970 officers, elected during the association's recent 51st annual meeting in Chicago. Pictured, left to right, are: P. D. Hermann, executive director, AED National Headquarters, Oak Brook, III.; L. A. Nixon, vice president of AED, Nixon Machinery & Supply Co., Knoxville: P. E. MacAllister, vice president, MacAllister Machinery Co., Indianapolis: D. L. Schumacher, president, Black Equipment Co., Dayton; F. F. Berry, Jr., senior vice president & treasurer, The Berry Companies and White Star Machinery & Supply Co., Wichita; C. H. Pardee, vice president-Canada, Pardee Equipment Ltd., Edmonton, Alta.; and J. W. Griffith, immediate past president and chairman of the 1970 advisory board, Minneapolis (Minn.) Equipment Co.
In Memoriam
JOSEPH V. MORESCHI
Services for Joseph V. Moreschi, 85, former president of the Laborers International Union of North America, were held in Chicago on March 14, 1970, following his death two days previously in Hot Springs, Ark., where he had lived since retiring as head of the LIU in 1968.
He had been president since 1926, when the union was known as the Hod Carriers, Building and Common Laborers International. Mr. Moreschi, who came to Chicago from Italy in 1892 when he was eight years old, began his union career in 1912 with Construction Laborers Local No. 1. He was elected president of that local and became a leader of the Chicago Laborers District Council.
Under his leadership, LIU's membership grew from 20,000 in 1926 to 500,000 at the time of his retirement. Mr. Moreschi is survived by two sons, Faust and John.