I don’t really know who was the first plasterer to actually do it. Plasterers, being the creative bunch they are, have probably been doing it since it became available in the U.S. back in the ’60s. Admittedly, I became heavily involved in it when they made it more elastic so it would perform better. Now, it is accepted as a common practice and performed everywhere. Yes, you are correct, I am talking about acrylic finish over stucco.
I suppose in those early years, there were some fresh thinkers. Those who saw the ease of applying an acrylic finish vs. a cement finish, who were willing to take that chance to try an acrylic finish over stucco. I suppose some traditionalists fought it because it took a specific system product and used it in an untraditional way.