Cliff Dieker had no way of knowing that a field trip to a museum during his senior year in high school would ultimately lead to a hands-on, lifelong connection to stone. Dieker recalled gazing at the Egyptian Pyramid Block exhibit and being impressed with the way they were able to shape the stone in intricate ways with such primitive tools. From that first observance of the techniques of stone shaping, to developing it as a hobby, then to becoming one of only a handful of craftsmen to restore the Kansas Statehouse to its original grandeur, Dieker’s path was a long and winding one. But first Dieker felt like he needed a real job. After high school he attended college, graduating with an accounting degree. He went on to have a successful career as both a graphic artist and co-owner of a print shop, but he never forgot the pull he felt to try stone carving for himself. In his spare time, he practiced his carving skills on his first home, a one-room stone schoolhouse built in 1880 that he and his wife purchased. So when he retired from accounting and graphic arts, he began his second, much different career, as a stone carver. “I was drawn to that stone structure [my first home]. We remodeled much of the inside, including the fireplace, and made doorways into windows,” Dieker said. “I was able to develop my skills doing these projects, including adding a stone porch, retaining walls, a stone treasure chest for my son, and even a life-size lion, which weighed several tons. "After about a year, when I finished carving the lion, I realized I had spent about 75% of my project time on just looking at the piece of stone, deciding on the direction. With stone, it’s easy to take some off, but you really can’t put it back on.”