Jensen Kugler
A&E Editor
In late August, America lost Tennessee-born country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton. The impact of this passing has been felt globally and within our very own student body.
One of the many groups feeling this loss is the wider community of Appalachia, a geographical region of the eastern United States that stretches across 13 states along the Appalachian Mountains. As a part of the Appalachian community by way of Kentucky, Claire Allison McGuire ’27 sees Dolly Parton as a rare public example of Appalachian generosity and hospitality.
“Growing up, she was just kind of always in the background of everything,” said McGuire. “I said to some of my friends, ‘It’s like my grandma died again.’”
Parton’s music brought joy and entertainment to the world, but also often had a deeper societal message.
“Honestly, I really love her song ‘Dumb Blonde.’ It’s about being underestimated, and I have a feeling that occurred to Dolly a lot more than it does to me,” said Raegan Herdman ’27. “Dolly helped break stereotypes so that today blondes like me don’t have to face those stereotypes, because we’re not dumb, believe it or not.”
Dolly Parton’s legacy is more than her music. She left behind a nonprofit called the Imagination Library, which has helped millions of children learn to read by mailing books to them for free.
“I personally know people who learned how to read because of her Imagination Library. The impact that she had is just, immeasurable” said McGuire. “Dolly was able to just care about everyone, which I think is something we can all learn from her.”
Alongside her literacy work, Parton is known for a wide variety of philanthropic efforts such as publicly supporting various minority groups and supporting COVID-19 vaccines in her community. She believed that becoming a billionaire is a moral failing, which she backed up by never becoming one herself.
“A lot of celebrities talk a lot of talk, and that’s important, but Dolly had the money and the actions to back it up. She always put her money where her mouth was, and I think that’s one of her most lasting impacts,” said Herdman.
By all accounts, Dolly Parton was kind and genuine to everyone she interacted with. This can perhaps most clearly be felt in her home state of Tennessee.
“I was part of this club [in high school], and we went to Nashville as part of that. It was kind of a joke on the trip, I was like, ‘I don’t even want to meet Dolly. I want to meet a Dolly impersonator.’ I did not meet a Dolly impersonator, but I actually met one of Dolly’s drivers and got to have a conversation with him about Dolly,” said McGuire. “It was just really nice to see the sense of community she brought within the Nashville downtown area and how she brought people together.”
To run the risk of sounding cliché, Dolly Parton was truly one of a kind. No other performer has had the same impact on American culture. From her big hair and smile to witty conversation, Dolly Parton was entirely special and unique.
“I remember looking at her when I was a kid and thinking: she doesn’t look like everyone else, and she seems really happy with that. Looking back, I don’t know how I came to that conclusion, but it was one the first times in my life that I saw a celebrity who didn’t look like everyone else and yet was loved. I think that sums up Dolly well. She lived life on her own terms, and she encouraged everyone else to do the same,” said Herdman.
Thank you Dolly, we can feel you smiling down. Best wishes from DollyWOOd.
