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Monuments are problematic, especially official state or national monuments. They dictate to the viewer what to think. How do we commemorate without dictating? Mount Rushmore's intended message does not stop Douglas Gladstone in Carving a Niche for Himself from problematizing one of America's most famous and visible monuments.   Gladstone une...

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A new book, Carving a Niche for Himself; The Untold Story of Luigi Del Bianco and Mount Rushmore, chronicles the life of former Port Chester resident Luigi Del Bianco, who was the chief carver of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. His story had largely been forgotten until author Douglas J. Gladstone unearthed it in his book.   And now, N...

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United States Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont needs to put on his cowl and cape and help the late Luigi Del Bianco.   Leahy, who reportedly learned to read when he was 4 years old, says he can quote Batman comic books of 40 to 50 years ago.   Read more   Source: http://vtdigger.org/    

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Few individuals know that without the skills of stone carver Luigi Del Bianco Mount Rushmore in Western South Dakota would not be the finished masterpiece that millions of visitors have viewed since this National Monument was completed.   Born on May 8, 1892, Bianco immigrated from Italy with his parents to the United States at the young age...

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Author Douglas J. Gladstone, whose controversial book argues that the United States Department of the Interior's National Park Service (NPS) is chiseling Mount Rushmore's Italian American chief carver out of posthumous credit, will talk about the issue before members of Noi Italiani D'Oggi (NIDO) at the Italian Center four weeks from tonight, on Th...

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Set in stone is supposed to mean immutable, but Luigi Del Bianco's determined descendants just now appear to be winning the official affirmation that the Italian-American from Westchester County deserved long ago for shaping one of the nation's most famous monuments.   "If being the chief carver at Mount Rushmore is not the American dream fo...

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by Douglas Gladstone   Mount Rushmore finally acknowledges Luigi Del Bianco. It's a start. Since this year marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of Mount Rushmore, the staff has been posting short bios of the workers on their Facebook page. After 25 years, the National Park Service has finally acknowledged that Luigi Del Bianco w...

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by Douglas J. Gladstone   For more than seven decades, the name of Luigi Del Bianco had gone unnoticed by historians chronicling the creation of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Not anymore. The United States Department of the Interior's National Park Service (NPS), which is the federal agency charged with supervising and admi...

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It's almost Columbus Day but you would never know it in certain parts of the country. In many cities, and even whole states, Columbus Day has been replaced with "Native American Day", or "Discoverer Day" as has happened in Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and South Dakota.   Other states are forced to authorize the holiday although they don't celebrat...

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By Douglas Gladstone   "The truth is like the sun, you can shut it out for a time, but it ain't going away." That quote from Elvis Presley. has always struck a chord with me. Especially when my thoughts turn to an obscure Italian immigrant named Luigi Del Bianco.   I hope it strikes a chord with U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-NH, too. Tha...

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