Pierce: Dolly Parton Is an American Hero

[mcar]

Let us pause now to praise a truly great American hero. From ABC News:

“It makes me feel proud of who I am, where I'm from and the fact that I am in a position to help people and especially the kids,” Parton said of the milestone for her nonprofit, Imagination Library. “It's so important to me because if you can teach children to read they can dream and if you dream you can be successful.” Alongside Carla Hayden, who heads the Library of Congress, the iconic country singer dedicated the 100 millionth book from her Imagination Library to the research library. Through the nonprofit, she has been donating millions of books to children for more than 20 years.

Consider this, if you will. Over the past two decades, Dolly Parton has given away one-hundred million books. To kids. All over a country in which public libraries, one of the great ornaments to the American experiment, are in desperate trouble. One-hundred million books. And why? For one of the most American reasons of all. Family.

“Yesterday when we put the book in the Library of Congress -- I really felt like mom and daddy was just up there looking down thinking, ‘You go.’ So I felt really proud that I could honor momma and daddy,” Parton said. Parton, who grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains in east Tennessee, told Hayden that she started the program in 1996 as a tribute to her father. She said he was a hardworking man but had not attended school or learned to read and write. “My daddy couldn't read and write and that always troubled him and bothered him so I wanted to do something special for him,” Parton said. “So, I got the idea to start this program and let my dad help me with it and he got to live long enough to hear the kids call me the ‘book lady.’”

God bless the good work, as they say over in the Motherland. And, as a bonus, I get to re-up this great piece of American popular art. It's already a good day.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a18924070/dolly-parton-american-hero/

[Sailor65x1]

1. She's a class act

And a very kind lady.

[mcar]

2. She sure is Sailor

100 million books! What a wonderful thing that is.

[mercuryblues]

3. I adore her

She is an American treasure.

[mcar]

4. This is such an accomplishment

She is wonderful!

[kentuck]

5. Dolly has always been a favorite of mine...

I have known of her since she was about 12 years old and singing on the old Cas Walker Show out of Knoxville, Tennessee. She had the voice of an angel.

[Duppers]

22. My dad had that show on every morning..

as I readied for school. Dolly and Porter Wagoner, Rev. & Mrs. Mull were regulars. Remember, "Pick up your morning paper when it hits the streets..."?
We lived outside K'ville, "way back then," as they'd say in East Tennessee.

Dolly has always been a special person who has supported progressive causes, including gay rights.

[Stonepounder]

6. Many years ago I was a road warrior.

I worked for a company that did computer training classes on-site for clients. So just about every week I was on a plane going somewhere. Because I was racking up frequent-flier miles faster than I could use them, I normally used them to upgrade my ticket to First class. She here I was one afternoon on a flight from LA to Nashville. I was in one of the last rows in 1st and in the first row in coach were a couple of children travelling alone (what is knows in the parlance as 'unaccompanied minors'). The kids were bored and were getting fussy. The flight attendants were doing their best, but the had a full plane to handle so couldn't dedicate all their time to two kids. Then a woman in First Class got up, walked back to Coach, sat down with the kids and started playing with them, reading to them, etc. For the duration of the flight she sat with them and kept happy and quiet until we got to Nashville and the Flight Attendant took charge to take them off the plane and find the kids 'responsible adult'. The woman who had given up her 1St class seat to keep the kids amused got off the plane and climbed onto her courtesy private cart and disappeared into the terminal.

The woman? Who else - Dolly Parton. She is truly a wonderful human being.

[7962]

8. Great story!

[calimary]

9. That's a wonderful story!

Bless her! She's always been one of the good guys. Thanks for sharing that story, Stonepounder!

[mountain grammy]

12. Nice.

[mcar]

17. What a great story!

[Duppers]

23. Great story!

More confirmation of Dolly's loving heart. She's actually one of us, not the RW.

[7962]

7. Wow, that is amazing. Ive always loved her down-to-earth style. nt

[LakeArenal]

10. I love this...

https://www.bing.com/search?q=dolly+parton+sings+jolene&FORM=QSRE4

[oasis]

11. A+ Personality.

[Hekate]

13. A toast to Dolly Parton

[Cha]

14. Mahalo for this about Dolly,

mcar! Such a kind and generous soul

[mcar]

18. 100 million books

A wonderful accomplishment, Cha.

[Cha]

24. That's a lotta books!

[Dave Starsky]

15. Someone chopping onions in here? (sniff)

Damn allergies.

Dolly Parton is solid gold.

[KatyaR]

27. Seriously, stop with the onions!

That video.... My parents so loved her, I grew up listening to her. She's an amazing lady.

I never knew about this program until about a year ago. Some of the Native American tribes here in Oklahoma subscribe all their children to the Imagination Library. Such an incredible legacy she has built!

[Lucinda]

16. I live in Sevier County - Dolly is much loved in her hometown, and does quite a lot more that never

makes the news. The IL also helps others start programs in their own communities.

https://imaginationlibrary.com

[mcar]

20. Thanks for this link, Lucinda

[EffieBlack]

19. Dolly Parton is a national treasure

[mcar]

21. She really is!

[Honeycombe8]

25. She really seems to be the real deal, and a wonderful person. nt

[samnsara]

26. shes very classy!

[Aristus]

28. Her original of "I Will Always Love You"

still beats the hell out of the Whitney Houston cover version.

And I say that having loved Whitney Houston with the fervor of a thousand white-hot suns.

Books are important. I'm glad she has made literacy a crusade...

[mcar]

32. I agree

It grabs the heart.

[Cracklin Charlie]

29. Agree 100 per cent!

Dolly Parton, American Hero!

[The Genealogist]

30. I adore Dolly Parton

She's a class act!

[Archae]

31. Just never mention "Rhinestone" around her...