I suspect sculptor Gutzon Borglum would be rolling over in his grave at the mere thought of modifying his design of Mount Rushmore. He oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941, with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum.

As we started vacation week celebrating President's Day, my friend, Congressman Bob Ney, mentioned on air that it would be interesting to ask the listeners to vote for their four favorite presidents to be immortalized in stone.

While you're thinking about your four choices, the sculpture features the 60-foot heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These four presidents were chosen to depict the birth, growth, development, and the preservation of the United States. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is carved into the granite face of the mountain in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota, a bucket list destination for my wife and I.

The whole idea of the carving, by historian Doane Robinson, was to promote tourism to the region. Robinson wanted to feature American West heroes such as Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud, and Buffalo Bill Cody, but that idea was shot down by Borglum for not having broad appeal, so he decided on the four presidents instead.

Original designs had each president to be depicted from head to waist, but typical for politicians, a lack of funding forced construction to be cut short in 1941.

So, who are your four choices for Mount Rushmore, which attracts more than two million visitors annually?

Mine are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, FDR., and Ronald Reagan.

Phil Paleologos is the host of the Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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