Councillor Tom Burns, who is responsible for leisure services, said government spending restrictions have made the Guild Hall's future uncertain.

BBC: Preston Guild Hall could be bulldozed

The signatories include former Undersecretaries of State Tom Pickering and Nick Burns, Ambassadors Ryan Crocker, Daniel Kurtzer and Frank Wisner.

BBC: Iran once again at centre of US divide

More than 300 notables from all walks of life have contributed essays thus far, including Garrison Keillor, Diane von Furstenberg, Bill Gross, Erica Jong, Muhammad Yunus, Tom Hanks, Ken Burns, Harold Prince, David McCullough, Thomas Friedman, Barbara Kingsolver, and many others.

FORBES: Creating a Business You'll Love

Instead of allowing his undying allegiance to Red Sox Nation cloud his judgment, Burns relied on the commentaries provided by Tom Verducci and Howard Bryant to support his claim.

FORBES: The Hits and Misses of Ken Burns' New Baseball Episode

Even though Burns acknowledged and honored the feats of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mariano Rivera, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson, his primary focus was to coronate Pedro Martinez as the most dominant pitcher of the era.

FORBES: The Hits and Misses of Ken Burns' New Baseball Episode