A native of Indiana, Cary attended the Chicago Art Institute before completing four years of training with Italian master-carver Vincent Palumbo at Washington’s National Cathedral. Apprenticed in the historic tradition, Cary learned stone carving’s complex body of technical knowledge, its secrets to stones, the preferred tools for varying stages of work, and the techniques for achieving light and shadow. Among the many ornamental stones, Cary carved the final gargoyle on the cathedral.