With all this talk of local landmarks, we’ve been thinking — which famous faces would belong on a fictional Mount Rushmore of San Diego celebrities?
And, since OpenAI is taking the world by storm, we posed that question to the artificial intelligence bot, Chat GPT, to see if the tech tool’s answers align with what SDtoday readers think.
“Chat GPT, who should be on the Mount Rushmore of celebrities in San Diego, California?”
Dr. Seuss | The iconic author and artist who lived in La Jolla from 1948 until his death in 1991.
Tony Hawk | The Carlsbad native and professional skateboarding icon.
Raquel Welch | The late “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.” actress who grew up in La Jolla and was crowned the “Fairest of the Fair” at the San Diego County Fair in 1958.
Ron Burgundy | The fictional 1970s “Anchorman” who coined the phrase, “You stay classy, San Diego.”
Ansel Adams | The famed landscape photographer who snapped iconic shots of San Diego, including UC San Diego, Scripps Pier, and Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
Annette Bening | The “American Beauty” and “The Kids Are Alright” actress who grew up in San Diego and attended Patrick Henry High School and San Diego Mesa College.
Tony Gwynn | The MLB Hall of Famer — No. 19, aka “Mr. Padre” — spent his entire career with the San Diego Padres.
Jon Foreman | The singer attended San Dieguito Academy and founded the successful rock band, Switchfoot, in San Diego.
Our SDtoday team would like to nominate two more celebs for this list:
blink-182 | The hit rock band that formed in Poway in 1992.
Nick Cannon | The actor, host, and native San Diegan who graduated from Monte Vista High School.
📩 Who do you think belongs on the Mount Rushmore of SD celebs? Let us know via this survey.