Last Mount Rushmore carver dead at 98

The last worker to participate in the carving of Mount Rushmore has died at 98 years old, according to CNN Wire.

Don “Nick” Clifford participated in the carving of the monument from 1938 to 1940, one of nearly 400 people who worked on it from 1927 to 1941, according to the outlet. Clifford said in a self-published memoir that he was able to get the job based on his experience as a miner using a jackhammer.

{mosads}The National Park Service has said there were no fatalities during the project despite the harsh conditions.

Clifford was a frequent presence at the monument, where he often signed his memoir for visitors.

“He’s been a wonderful man. He’s very kind and generous, and somewhat shy,” his wife, Carolyn Clifford, told CNN affiliate KOTA at his 98th birthday party in July. “You wouldn’t know that since he’s in the public, but he enjoys what he’s doing a lot.”