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Monday, March 1, 1999 Published at 12:21 GMT


Talking Point


Should Reagan be immortalised on Mount Rushmore?

There is already an airport, a library and a huge office development named after Ronald Reagan, but his supporters say he deserves a place on Mount Rushmore alongside the men who laid the foundations of America.

First president George Washington, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, civil war leader Abraham Lincoln and expansionist Theodore Roosevelt are all carved into the monument to American history in South Dakota.

In the past there have been campaigns for new faces from John F Kennedy to Elvis Presley, but all have been vehemently opposed.

But does Mr Reagan deserve a place alongside the men who shaped the United States?

Republican Congressman Matt Salmon says yes. He argues that the former president gave Americans faith in the future.

"He is the president that ended the Cold War. You think about 40 years of a major threat not only to our country, but to the world at large being ended by one man - I think that's quite an achievement."

But park rangers say there is no room for another face and further work will damage the originals.

Eugene Koevenig, Former Head of Maintenance, worked at the park for decades.

He said: "This is in my estimation one of the most beautiful pieces of artwork in the world, and to go ahead now and change that from the original carving would absolutely desecrate it."

What do you think - should it be Reagan or do you think someone else would be better?

Should Reagan be immortalised on Mount Rushmore?


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