Welcome back to another edition of Work Wonders, the podcast where we shine a bright spotlight on the unsung heroes who keep America’s infrastructure, history, and daily life moving behind the scenes. In this extra-special episode, guest host Chad “The Larynx” Stevens steps behind the microphone to bring you an unforgettable conversation with a living landmark of Washington, D.C.: Mr. Cyrus "Cy" Butterfield.

For seven full decades, Cy has been the steady hand keeping the marble gleaming at one of the nation's most iconic sites—the Lincoln Memorial. If you’ve ever walked up those grand stone steps, stood beneath the towering columns, or gazed up at Abraham Lincoln’s majestic 19-foot seated statue, odds are you’ve admired Cy’s handiwork without ever knowing his name.

In this deep dive, Cy takes us far beyond the typical tourist brochures. He shares what it truly takes to care for a national monument through changing eras, political shifts, harsh Washington weather, and millions of annual visitors. From mastering the delicate science of column polishing to tackling endless step-scrubbing, Cy has seen and cleaned it all.

However, even a master with seventy years on the job meets his match. Cy opens up about the one monumental challenge that has eluded his cleaning kit for decades: the almost impossible-to-reach, perpetually dusty lap of the 19-foot statue itself. You’ll laugh out loud as he details his inventive (and often absurd) strategies for tackling high-altitude marble dust without breaking park regulations or falling off a ladder.