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I have a deep love for this business. I have watched monuments go from a "punched" design to a uniquely personalized memorial. I'm keeping in touch with these changes by attending conventions, both state and national, and by attending any shop seminars I can. I have also presented some of the programs at the shop seminars. I am willing to attend any meeting that will help us produce a better product.

I keep abreast of quarrying and production techniques by visiting all of the major quarrying areas on a periodic basis. This helps me to know the industry better. I am a "hands on" monument man who loves working with stone and creating new ideas.

Monuments today are very different from time past. If you look at the cemetery in some of the old areas, you will notice that sometimes there is a large stone with only a family name on it. This is usually in the center of the lot. Around the lot are smaller stones. Sometimes all these stone say is MOTHER or FATHER. It does make you wonder what that persons name was!! Another tradition on a stone used to be the husbands name and then the wives, for example, James Bell and the dates and then, his wife Ruth and the dates. Some old stones read the age by the years, months and days. There are also monuments with the year dates only. Today we are putting lots of information on the monuments. You would be amazed at the people that go to the cemeteries to find out information of their genealogy. On some of the monuments that we are producing now we are putting the wife's maiden name, the marriage date and the children's names. These are all a part of history and if it is on the granite monument, it is there for all to see or find.

Monuments are put up, not because someone died, but because someone lived. We are memorializing that person. Our monuments today are very different from years ago. They used to put up wooden crosses. These did not last very long at all.

They went on to marble monuments. Marble was used because all of the work was done by hand. It is a softer material than granite and was easier to use the hammer and chisel. If you look at some of the older marble stones in the cemetery, you may notice that some of them are hard to read. This is because marble is a softer rock. It will absorb moisture and as it freezes, flake off. This is done at a very small amount at a time, but over the years, it does become apparent. Marble is harder than the limestone posts, but is not as hard as granite.

Granite Monuments were originally done all by hand. The progress that has been made in producing monuments is mind boggling. I often wonder what my dad would say if he was here to see how many monuments we do a year and how much easier it is to do the design with the help of the computer and an excellent art department.

I belong to Monument Builders of North America, Mid America Monument Builders Association, Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce, Knights of Columbus, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Beloit Industrial Development and St. John's Cemetery Board.  I am a director on Beloit Industrial Development, Past President of Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce, Past Grand Knight, member of Chataqua Light Board, Past President of Kan,-Ok.-Mo. Monument Builders, Director of Kan.-Ok. -Mo.- Monument Builders many times. I was a National Trustee on Monument Builders of North America board.

We're here to serve you in any way we can.

Sincerely,

Jim Bell