“Thomas Jefferson, because of his concept of each man having his own bit of land to make his way with. He believed in individual opportunity, but that it came with great responsibility.”

— John Swift, middle school teacher, Lawrence

“I think it was probably Abraham Lincoln. I think adversity shows a man for who he is, and that was a very adverse time in our history.”

— Emma Lambrecht, facilities management clerk, Lawrence

“Truman. We recently went to the Truman Museum and we were very impressed with his achievements.”

— Kathryn Perkins, radiology secretary, Eudora

“I would say Ronald Reagan. I like his foreign policy and the American values he believed in.”

— Jonathan Munger, business owner, Olathe