This chapter is dedicated to Professor George W. Scherer of Princeton University, whom I first met at the Ultrastructure Processing of Advanced Ceramics conference in San Diego in 1987one of a series of conferences on sol-gel technologies organized by the late Donald Ulrich from 1984 to 1992. That meeting began a friendship and collaboration that has now spanned 30 years. Well known to sol-gel science, Professor Scherer also directed much of his prodigious intellect and energies to issues of cultural heritage preservation when he moved from industry to the university. Not only did he produce significant scholarship in understanding the deterioration and conservation of stone, and, mentored several in the next generation of scientists now pursuing similar subjects, he was and is generous with his time and knowledge in helping all of us to advance the field of science directed at cultural heritage preservation.