I want to thank Mike Greenberg for encouraging me to share this news with our CHS classmates. Thanks Mike. You are always a true friend.

I wanted to share with you the news of my newly released book "The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty." (ISBN 978-0-9678204-5-3) with my CHS classmates as I think (and hope) it might interest you. The project was twenty years of research and writing and now the book is released. It is the amazingly dramatic biography of Jewish immigrant actor M. B. Curtis who was suddenly catapulted to fame and fortune by performing the role of a Jewish immigrant "drummer" (a traveling salesman) beginning in 1880. He was the first Jewish male to be allowed to portray a Jewish male character on stage in American theatre history. (at the time African Americans, Asian Americans and Jewish Americans were not allowed to represent themselves on stage). Curtis broke that barrier for all ethnic groups and a flood of ethnic comedy theatrical portrayals followed his breakthrough. He performed often at a number of Philadelphia theaters. 

His life is story of great success and great disappointments, Curtis rose to stardom using his charisma and comedic talents to overcome common stereotypes and prejudices of the time. But his influence spread beyond the stage. As an immigrant, he couldn’t bear to see the Statue of Liberty go unlit due to congressional deadlock immediately after its dedication, so he paid to have it lit himself. In addition to paying back the country that welcomed him and his family, Curtis had a dramatic impact on the mainstream culture of the day, so much so that Mark Twain asked him to star in a rare stage rendition of one of his books. Curtis then became a pioneer in the nascent silent-film industry, a producer, a real estate developer, a promoter, a hotelier, a benefactor, and a murder suspect. M. B. Curtis’s life encompassed the highs of celebrity and fame and the lows of failure, illness, and a faltering career. What defined him, however, was that he always followed his dreams even in the face of extreme adversity.
Using New York and later San Francisco as his home base, Curtis and his wife toured the country to great acclaim in the 1880s until being in San Francisco almost ended his life. "The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty" rescues M. B. Curtis’ story from the dust-covered archives of forgotten history and reexamines an actor whose creativity and cultural influence still resonate invisibly today.
"The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty" has been chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Margaret Herrick Library to be included in their collection.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island National Monument Stores currently stock the book.
Should you want further information on the book visit www.richardschwartz.info. In April of 2018 the book won the Bronze Medal for Biography from the Independant Publishers Book Awards.

I hope everyone is living a life they choose. I think of you guys often with fond memories. Please feel free to contact me or send any reactions to the book as i would appreciate hearing the from my old classmates.

Best Regards,

Richard Schwartz