The queen of country, philanthropist, businesswoman and a backwoods Barbie, Dolly Parton was a household name everywhere you went. Even if someone didn’t like country music, they have heard of Parton in some way, shape or form.
Being a star country singer, appearing in several movies and shows, and even starting her own theme park titled, Dollywood, Parton left a mark everywhere she went with her impeccable personality, but she was much more than just her colorful nature, giant hair and glittery outfits. Although she may not be with us anymore, she left a great impact in many different facets of the world that will be remembered forever.
Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 and since then has gifted over 300 million free books to children globally. The idea for the library stemmed from her father, Robert Lee Parton, who never had the opportunity to learn how to read or write. It originally started in Servier County, Tennessee and the library expanded over several years, eventually expanding outside of Tennessee in the year 2000. The library gave families the opportunity to gain one free book every month for their children from the moment they are born until their fifth birthday.
Philanthropy work was a big part of who Parton was and as much as she could have let her money stack, she opposed to help others who were in need. Parton established the “My People Fund” in November of 2016 where she would donate millions of dollars toward Tennessee families who struggled during major floods and fires that occurred. She was also a major contributor towards finding a vaccine for COVID-19 by donating $1 million towards the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Although being a philanthropist was a big part of her life, Parton had to find a way to have the funds in order to do so.
Parton was briefly in talks with Elvis Presley and his team in 1974 before eventually selling her hit song “I Will Always Love You” to Whitney Houston. When they were going to record the song, Parton was informed by Presley’s manager that 50% of the publishing rights go to him and his team. Parton being the businesswoman she was, denied the sale of the song which led to the sale going to Houston some years later.
This allowed Parton to eventually start her own record labels and publishing companies early in her career in order to maintain creative control over her music. Parton would go on to produce over 3,000 written songs with over 25 No. 1 singles on the Billboard country charts, 11 Grammy Awards with 55 nominations, three Emmys and inductions into both the Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Parton was also well known for her famous amusement park, Dollywood. However, the interesting part about it is how she treated her workers. Wanting to serve employees just as well as they served guests, Parton made it a point to grant her employees free tuition, as well as paying for other fees and books that they might need. This was included no matter how many hours an employee worked through the Dollywood Grow U program.
In a world where it seems like everyone in America hates or disagrees with something, it seems like everyone couldn’t help but find a good thing to say or think about Parton. From her infectious personality and positive outlook on life, Dolly Parton will be dearly missed but her legacy lives on through all the amazing achievements she worked hard to accomplish.
