On January 17, 2018, author Richard Cerasani spoke to a crowd of about fifty people at the British Institute of Florence about his book Love Letters from Mount Rushmore: The Story of a Marriage, a Monument, and a Moment in History.
The book details the experience of Arthur Cerasani as a sculptor at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. From March to September of 1940, the artist worked on the mountain, while his family remained over fifteen hundred miles away. Over this vast distance, he and his wife, Mary, stayed connected through letters. Their daily correspondence reveals the trials of carving sixty-foot heads on a mountain top and highlights the strength of the human spirit. Despite isolation, spring blizzards, summer heat, and the unpredictable moods and fortunes of master sculptor Gutzon Borglum, Arthur Cerasani manages to connect with the carvers of the great monument and grow as an artist.
In telling his father's experience, Richard Cerasani gives readers the tale of many workers on the mountain, some separated from family, all hoping for a future. Using letters and photographs, he shows the human side of the monumental struggle to create Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Richard Cerasani is the middle son of Arthur and Mary Cerasani. He has been a professional actor for over fifty years under his professional name, Richard Caine. As Richard Caine, he is best known for his television work, which included three years as the villain, Bill Watson, on General Hospital.