Presentation Plus

August James Williams was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. He graduated from University of

New Orleans with degrees in Math and Psychology. After graduating, he studied the art of stone

masonry from teachers who taught him how to do everything the old fashioned way – by hand.

August was a Union Stone & Marble Mason working with Continental Marble & Granite as a Minute Man

(a person who is always on call to go wherever the company needs him). As such, he was summoned to Washington DC to in 1986 to work on Columbia Square at 13th & F as a layout man.

Continental Marble & Granite folded shortly thereafter and he joined the union pool of the Brick and

Allied Craftworkers Local #1. Other projects included:

• US Navy Memorial at the Navy Memorial Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue

• Arlington National Cemetery

• Lay out person for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

• Ritz Carlton and the Sports Club LA at 22nd & M Streets

• Chevy Chase Bank Headquarters at Wisconsin Avenue and East West Highway

• National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall

During the work slowdown after September 11th, August started Presentation Plus Marble & Granite,

a fabrication and installation company located at 3400 Windom Road, Brentwood, MD 20722.

August came out of retirement to work on the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. He was one of only two African-American stone masons chosen to work on the Memorial and the only stone mason from this country to work on the Mountain of Despair and the Stone of Hope (Dr. King’s statue) with Master Lei Yixin – Sculptor of Record of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.