Honoring Parton with statue at Tennessee Capitol

A Tennessee lawmaker has filed a bill in the state General Assembly that we can all support — adding a statue of Dolly Parton to the grounds of the state Capitol in Nashville.

State Rep. John Mark Windle, D-Livingston, has introduced the bill “for all that (Parton) has contributed to this state,” according to the Associated Press.

The bill states Parton’s statue would “be located on the capitol grounds facing in the direction of the Ryman Auditorium,” where she has performed throughout her career.

If approved, Parton’s likeness would join the statues of Presidents Andrew Johnson, James Polk and Andrew Jackson, as well as Sgt. Alvin York and other notable Tennesseans on Capitol Hill. Certainly, Parton’s remarkable musical career, humanitarian work and celebrity notoriety worldwide has earned her the right to join their ranks.

And who doesn’t love Dolly? Her music has brought joy to generations of Americans.

Parton’s contributions to the public good are simply undeniable, from providing more than 150 million books to more than 1.7 million children over 30 years through her Imagination Library, to her donation last year of $1 million to Vanderbilt University to help fund research for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

As specified by Windle’s bill, no taxpayer dollars would be used for the project. Instead, a fund would be created for private donations and grants to pay for the statue.

The state Capitol Commission would get input and develop a plan for the statue’s design.

As we noted earlier, Parton, a native of Sevier County, has done much to promote Tennessee, improve childhood literacy around the world and to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, she deserves to be honored by her home state with a statue on Capitol Hill.

— The Johnson City

Press, Jan. 18