Photo Credit: Dolly Parton/Instagram; Black Box Studios/Instagram
Dolly Parton is thought of quite highly in her home state of Tennessee and rightfully so. She’s been offering scholarships to young people there, has been giving books away to the underserved for over 25 years and of course has her amusement part Dollywood there. Her commitment to her home state has lead to the state legislature of Tennessee draft a bill to have a statue of her placed outside of State Capitol. While this would be considered nothing short of an honor for anyone else, she has requested that they not do it at this time.
So just why would Dolly Parton much less anyone else decline such an offer? Well she’s said with all that is going on in the world, she doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to do at this time. “I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds,” she said in a statement. “I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration.”
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“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time,” Parton’s statement continued. “I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”
The entertainer who has been doing charitable work likely since before most of our readers were born, has plenty to be recognized for but this wouldn’t be her first time declining an honor. He declined the Presidential Medal Freedom twice saying that she didn’t want to get political. One of those times she did it because her husband was sick. Either way her work is appreciated and she’s going to get her just dues soone enough.
