Nashville Dolly Parton statue proposed in new bill: 'Everyone loves her'

Dolly Parton, the country music icon who is celebrating her 75th birthday Tuesday, may be honored with a monument in her home state of Tennessee.

A newly introduced bill would require the state to establish a statue of Parton on the Capitol grounds in honor of her contributions.

Rep. John Windle, D-Livingston, filed a bill Wednesday that would require the Tennessee's State Capitol Commission to develop and execute a plan to erect a Parton statue facing the Ryman Auditorium, where she performs from time to time. The commission, created by the legislature in 1986, oversees the restoration and preservation of the Capitol Complex.

"At this point in history, is there a better example, not just in America but in the world, of a leader that is kind, decent, passionate human being?" Windle said Wednesday. "(She's) a passionate person who loves everyone, and everyone loves her."

The bill would create the "Dolly Parton fund" to pay for the design, construction, establishment and the maintenance of the statue.

The money would come from gifts, grants and donations the state receives from private sources, Windle said. The legislation also would allow the public and "other interested parties" a chance to offer input on the design of the statue.

"The influx of people that have moved to Tennessee in the last several years is directly related to the kind, compassionate nature of Tennesseans, and she is the perfect example of that," Windle said. "She has contributed so much and sacrificed so much of her time to so many great causes."

Windle said he has not spoken to Parton about his initiative.

"The only connection that Dolly Parton and I have is that we are both hillbillies," he said.

Parton, a household name, music icon and lifelong philanthropist, recently made a million-dollar donation to Vanderbilt University for its efforts helping develop a highly effective coronavirus vaccine. She announced the donation in April.

Dolly Parton wanted her $1 million COVID-19 vaccine donation 'to do good and evidently, it is!'

The Tennessee native has a long history of giving to charities. In the 1990s, Parton founded the Imagination Library to boost child literacy, mailing books to those under the age of 5 across the world. The organization has donated more than 100 million books and partnered with multiple organizations, including the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and the state Department of Education, to develop literacy programs. In 1986, she formed her entertainment empire Dollywood Co., which employs thousands of Tennesseans.

Suggestions to establish a Parton monument in Tennessee's Capitol emerged during last year's legislative session amid a heated debate over the removal of the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan, from the building.

Petition seeks to replace confederate memorials with Dolly Parton in Tennessee

The move triggered lengthy debates. Ultimately, the State Capitol Commission voted to remove the Forrest bust along with those of U.S. Admiral David Farragut, a leader in the Union Navy during the Civil War, and U.S. Admiral Albert Gleaves, who served during the Spanish-American War and World War I.

The issue now goes before the Tennessee Historic Commission where a two-thirds vote is required to remove the Forrest bust from the state Capitol.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton may be honored with a statue at Tennessee Capitol