Rock Stars Among Us: Dr. Frederick M. Hueston
Tom McNall
Special Contributor
I first met Fred in Baltimore at a StonExpo seminar. I absorbed his words like a sponge and afterwards he and I chatted at length in the halls of the convention center about customers and situations.
The first person who encouraged me to get into the marble restoration business years earlier was Joe Salvo from Miracle Sealants (future article) and his words of advice were “If you want to do this business right, join the Marble Institute of America and search out Fred Hueston.” Read on to find out why he is this month’s Rock Star….
Born to Run
Fred’s father did odd jobs in New Jersey where Fred grew up, including tile and stone setting. Much like Springsteen and Bon Jovi, he enjoyed his youth in the Garden State but vowed not to get into the stone business like his father. After he graduated high school, Fred went on to Florida in 1978 to get his undergraduate degree in Limnology (freshwater lakes and pond science), degrees in biology, chemistry and physics. Soon after he graduated, Fred got a job at the University of Florida and was bored to death, so he and his brother helped his mother get contracts to clean the offices of various doctors he knew from the University, as his family had moved South around this time too, after his father got sick.
It was here where fate met reality. One of the doctor’s offices his mother was caring for needed some marble restoration, and at the time, no one in the area was providing that service. His mother told him to find a solution because in her words, “You’re the educated one in the family!” Ever the student, Fred researched it and found no viable information at the time to guide someone in the field of stone restoration. He contacted his future mentor Joe Donatelli, purchased the equipment and tooling he needed and got some quick instruction on how to operate it.
I remember Fred sharing this story with me on that fateful day we met in Baltimore. After he had ground the floor flat, he sat on a bucket looking at the dull, scratched floor thinking “What have I done? It doesn’t look better, it looks worse!” – He still had about 7 steps of diamonds left to go through. After going through the remaining steps Joe had instructed him on, Fred was able to finish the job and get paid. It was then that Fred realized he had some potential in the business.
Leavin’ on a Jet Plane
Fred then installed a practice floor in his garage and honed his craft. Word got out that he knew a little about stone and he was soon asked to do big national jobs. He hit a wall in Washington, DC in the early 80s because stone restoration was restricted to historical societies. Not one to give up, Fred went back to school and received his Master’s Degree in Architectural Conservation.
Fred looked around and noticed that no one was teaching anyone about stone restoration. He started the NTC – The National Training Center for Stone and Masonry Trades. Desiring to become an accredited trade school, he inquired and was informed that to do so, he would need to hire someone with a PhD in Adult Education. Back to school he went and Dr. Fred was born.
Fred’s goal was to take his mentor’s advice and combine it with his schooling to examine the stone trade from a scientific perspective. He succeeded because between 1997 and 1998, Fred wrote 10 books on various subjects to do with stone and restoration – not mention the hundreds of articles spanning the last 25+ years, and DVDs as well.
Gold Record
Back in 1989 Fred wrote an article on crystallization that earned him more attention then he could have imagined. Based on all the feedback both pro and con, Fred knew that he had chosen the right path. He went on to write further damning articles that exposed the dangerous practice and garnered even more attention both positive and negative. I remember myself back in the early days of the internet arguing the pros of crystallization with Fred and others on the NTC Forum. I remember Fred simply telling me to investigate the effects for myself and when I did, my eyes were opened.
Fred has moved on in the industry, having sold the NTC several years ago to engage in full-time consulting work, installation fail investigations and expert witness work in courts internationally.
Some of the consulting jobs he will tell you about with a twinkle in his eyes are The White House, The World Trade Center (pre 9/11 and after), numerous Walt Disney Resorts and spending 2 years flying back and forth across the country while advising on the stone choice, installation and maintenance for Steve Wynn’s Encore Resort in Las Vegas.
You’re My Inspiration
Dr Fred loves the stone industry for many reasons but perhaps the one thing that keeps him going is that he is constantly running into problems and issues he has never seen before. Since stone is not man-made it can present many challenges which his studious and scientific mind loves to figure out.
Not without mentors of his own, Fred lists Joe Donatelli Sr. as a big help as well as geologists such as Erhart Winkler, Claude Rust and Vasco Fassina, author of Stone Decay and Conservation.
Fred has always been a great educator and in offering advice to others. In his own words he says, “I tell my students all the time that the stone business is challenging and the only way you are going to succeed is to constantly keep yourself informed and never think you know it all. Attend seminars, read trade journals and network with others.”
A Judge, a Lawyer and an Expert Witness Walk Into a Bar…
I asked Fred to share an interesting and/or comical story with our readers. This is what he said:
“One of my favorites is when I was in court for a slip fall case and the attorney throws up a picture of a marble lobby floor and asks me if I know how old the marble is. I told him I could only guess.
He said go ahead and guess.
With a straight face I told him anywhere between 400 and 800 million years old.
The judge was laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair. The jury was laughing as well. Of course the attorney meant to ask me how old the marble installation was.”
If you ever get the opportunity to meet Fred, he is a super down-to-earth guy. Ladies, he’s also single. I for one have always been grateful for the help he’s offered and given me over the years. I’ve worked with him on a few projects and I am honored to have him as a friend. One page cannot contain all the good he has done for the industry or for any one individual. He is truly a Rock Legend!
Getting to Know Dr. Fred
• What are you reading?
The latest copy of the Slippery Rock Gazette. I’m not much of a novel reader so I tend to read text books and nonfiction as well as business books.
• What are you listening to on your radio / iPod?
Kid Rock, Toby Keith, Maroon 5, and George Straight. I have a very eclectic taste in music.
• Do you have a favorite vacation location?
Any of the islands.
• Do you have a dream vacation location?
Australia.
• Beef or Chicken?
Chicken and fish. I haven’t touched beef since 1978!
• Favorite movie(s)?
Right now it’s The Hangover series.
• Where do you go to think? To escape?
The beach or my boat, and also riding on my motorcycle.
Do You Know a Rock Star?
If you know of any outstanding individual(s) in the stone industry you feel should be interviewed for our Rock Star column, please send us an email letting us know who they are and why they should be featured.