Where to now, St. Dolly?

Godspeed: good fortune; success (used as a wish to a person starting on a journey, a new venture, etc.)

Packing and preparing to leave for a river trip, but I couldn’t NOT write this before I depart for the wilderness.

I have a unique perspective on Dolly from my front-row seat at the reception desk of my coworking space, as we’ve got a giant mural of her basically above our front door.

It’s not unusual every day or so to see people posing for selfies with Dolly.

And I get to see the corresponding joy that people display when doing this.

When Dolly passed yesterday, the selfies ratcheted way up, and I’d imagine that will be the same today.  This morning, I arrived to find some flowers and a votive candle that have been placed by her mural in a makeshift memorial.

Hayley Mullins reached out to me on LinkedIn with the following message:

"I was thankful to have this memorial of her in town when I heard the news. Just left a couple flowers from my garden under the mural, and it was nice to have a physical place to reflect on the light she brought to the world. Thanks for having her among the other greats at Inspiration Alley."

From my perch, I’ve thought about Dolly every day since we painted her mural as part of our Inspiration Alley gallery of social and environmental impact champions.

She was everything rolled into one.

Talent. Smarts. Heart. Beauty. Humility. Backbone. Grace.

In reading her obituaries, most focused on her professional talents as an entertainer, both in music and on the big screen, with a mention of her Imagination Library, which has gifted more than 332,000,000 books since it was first created 31 years ago.

But Dolly’s giving didn’t stop there. That’s where it started.

So, I thought I’d add to the obits to briefly note just some of Dolly’s generous giving beyond the books.

• She was a supporter of wildlife and wildlands conservation, with a special emphasis on protecting bald eagles.
• She advocated for LGTBQ+ rights – and used her voice to protest bullying.
• She invested considerably in health care, including playing a major role in the advancement of the Moderna covid vaccine by providing a $1 million donation at a critical juncture in its development
• After wildfires in East Tennessee, she gave families that lost their homes $1,000 a month for six months, and then performed fundraisers that allowed these families receive an extra $10,000 to help them rebuild their lives
• And a little-known initiative:  Over the past several decades, Dolly quietly funded band uniforms and instruments at Black high schools across the South

I’m sure there’s much more that we don’t even know about.

You have pointed the way for us, St. Dolly – to see the goodness in others, to practice radical acceptance, and to act in ways big and small.

I miss you, Dolly – and through my tears, am grateful for everything you gave us, all of it.

Godspeed, friends.

Russ

P.S.  Here’s the best piece I’ve read yet about Dolly, written by Jad Abumrad, the creator of the podcast, Dolly Parton’s America.

Also, it's not surprising there are other murals of Dolly around country. Below are just a couple that have surfaced, the top one from Asheville, NC, and the bottom one from Nashville, TN.