Dear Dr. Ben Carson:

You probably had no idea you would be running for president of the United States when you visited Slippery Rock University 23 years ago.

The Butler Eagle Sunday edition recalled your keynote commencement address at the May 16, 1992, graduation ceremony.

At the time, the president was George Bush — George Herbert Walker Bush, not W. — and a Clinton was campaigning for the Democratic Party nomination, only in 1992 it was Bill Clinton.

And now you’re running for the opportunity to challenge the former first lady, who now is also a former U.S. senator and former secretary of state.

In 1992, you were a 41-year-old hotshot neurosurgeon from Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore. You won notoriety for a delicate operation to separate conjoined twins and other accomplishments in the late 1980s.

It was only two weeks before your SRU speech that Bill Clinton, age 45, captured 56 percent of the Democratic votes in the Pennsylvania spring primary, making him, perhaps, your only rival for public attention in Butler County in mid-May of 1992.

Doctor Carson, please consider a return engagement. You are cordially invited to bring your campaign to Butler County.

You will be campaigning for the Pennsylvania primary, which is April 26, so an appearance in early April would fit perfectly into your itinerary.

But here’s an alternative idea: With Ohio’s primary on March 4, it might be most effective to make a campaign stop in Youngstown, Ohio, in February, then make the short drive east on Interstate 80 into Pennsylvania.

A bright guy like you should be able to see the advantage of stumping two states in one trip. And a February visit would give you top billing in three regional news hubs: Pittsburgh, Erie and Youngstown.

A February appearance also could give your campaign the jump on other candidates — although, to be clear, they’re all invited too. Even The Donald and Hillary, but they might have to get smaller jets if they want to land on the 4,801-foot runway at Butler County Airport. “Trump Force One,” a Boeing 757-200, needs at least twice that much runway to land and take off safely, according to the jet’s manufacturer.

You will find that Western Pennsylvanians are partial to the name “Ben,” since our Steelers quarterback routinely performs with surgical precision against rival defenses. And folks in Butler don’t seem to mind when moviemakers invade our local hospitalto shoot realistic medical dramas, a film genre with which you apparently are familiar.

Slippery Rock University has grown exponentially since your last visit. You might not recognize the campus. There’s plenty more to see here, too.

You also might take an interest in the new UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The 185,000 square-foot complex blends hockey training and medicine with a focus on injury prevention and rapid rehabilitation. We’re proud of this community asset.

Please give our invitation some serious consideration. We look forward to hosting presidential candidates in 2016 — especially those who had no inkling they’d be a candidate the lasttime they visited.