{"id":1708,"date":"2026-08-30T07:11:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T07:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1708"},"modified":"2026-08-30T07:11:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T07:11:40","slug":"remembering-dolly-parton-more-than-a-country-music-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1708","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Dolly Parton: More Than a Country Music Legend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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T<\/span>he weather elves insist it\u2019s a coincidence, and I guess we\u2019re obliged to believe them. If it\u2019s a coincidence, it\u2019s a Major League one.<\/p>\n

Read more Saving Masculinity From the Left and the Manosphere<\/a><\/p>\n

Tropical Storm Dolly is heading toward the southern United States, though facing an uncertain future thanks to wind shear, dry air, and other things that hobble Atlantic storms. The name, the elves tell us, was chosen and put into a rotation long ago. It\u2019s in no way intended as a kind of meteorological tribute to the recently departed Dolly Parton, a storm in her own right, and a much more appealing one.<\/p>\n

Here in Central Florida where I am, I\u2019m not too concerned about the Dolly heading in my direction across the Atlantic. But like millions of others, here and abroad, I\u2019m trying to get adjusted to living in a world without the bright light that was Dolly Parton. This will take a while, and it won\u2019t be easy. Even Jolene probably misses her.<\/p>\n

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Summing it all up, it\u2019s hard to think of anyone more entitled to be called America\u2019s sweetheart than Dolly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Happily we still have Dolly\u2019s recorded music, so we can always enjoy her sweet and warm voice that can melt all but the hardest and most hopeless hearts. We also have her work on the big screen that can be visited any time. These will allow us to draw pleasure from her performing talent. But Dolly was so much more than musical and acting talent \u2014 on display at an energy level that made the Energizer Bunny seem a layabout by comparison. If kindness, generosity, and talent for friendship were Olympic events, this five-foot woman from Pittman Center, Tennessee (current population 454) would retire the gold.<\/p>\n

This special woman not only demonstrated but lived those things that have made America special. Her rise from dirt poor Smokey Mountain beginnings to a long and highly successful music career as a singer and songwriter, her acting gigs, her remarkable business savvy, and her philanthropy have been much in the news this week. (No point in cataloging these by now well-known events again.) Can there be any clearer demonstration of the American dream?<\/p>\n

Alas, I was never privileged to have met Dolly. But everyone who did so came away glad of the experience. Since her death Tuesday, there\u2019ve been countless testimonials to these happy encounters with the personable, gracious, and unpretentious superstar. Please allow me to contribute one more. This tribute was not from a media star or some other kind of household name, but from a Tampa high school senior who had suffered more illness in her life up to that point than anyone should have to. Music helped her through those long hospital days and nights. Country music was her favorite, and Dolly her favorite singer.<\/p>\n

Read more Maybe It\u2019s Time We Girls Get Real About the 19th Amendment<\/a><\/p>\n

Through a charity that grants children living with a life-threatening illness their fondest wish, this young woman \u2014 let\u2019s call her Vicky (cuz that\u2019s her name) \u2014 got to live her wish, which was to meet Dolly Parton. The experience was everything the young fan hoped it would be and more. I was privileged to do a feature story on this happy meet-up in 2000 for the late, great Tampa Tribune.<\/em><\/p>\n

The meeting with Dolly took place at the Back Stage Caf\u00e9 at Dollywood, Dolly\u2019s theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Here\u2019s how Vicky described the visit: \u201cShe was so wonderful. I wasn\u2019t nervous waiting to see her. She makes you feel comfortable. Visiting with her was like talking to one of your friends you\u2019ve known for years. There were other people waiting to see her. But she didn\u2019t rush anyone. It wasn\u2019t one of those \u2018Hi, howya doing? and on to the next person things. She took her time with everyone. She\u2019s just a down-to-earth sweet lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t seen Vicky since our interview in 2000. I was happy to learn then that she had overcome the condition that was a mortal threat to her. I hope she\u2019s now enjoying a healthy and prosperous life and still enjoying country music, though this week\u2019s loss was surely a severe knock to her. Whatever her life\u2019s duration or condition, it will be brightened by cherished memories of \u00a0the visit that day in Pigeon Forge with her heroine, who more than lived up to expectations. There\u2019s a cynical saying that one should never meet one\u2019s heroes (or heroines), as disappointment is sure to follow. It would be a waste of time and breath to try to convince Vicky of this.<\/p>\n

Vicky\u2019s description of a gracious Dolly comports with the many others we\u2019ve read. Many public figures spend lavishly on publicists to convince the world that their client is comprehensively warm and wonderful, even if the reality is a good deal less attractive than the picture painted. Dolly didn\u2019t need this kind of help. Her own kind and generous behavior was all the publicity she needed. To all appearances the late Dolly was just as advertised. I try to avoid clich\u00e9s. But in Dolly\u2019s case one is almost obliged to say: \u201cWhat you saw was what you got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summing it all up, it\u2019s hard to think of anyone more entitled to be called America\u2019s sweetheart than Dolly. (Dolly was and remains one of our one-name people. Say Dolly and there\u2019s no doubt about who\u2019s being referred to.) Her loss is incalculable, but her place in America\u2019s heart will endure. What great luck that she came our way.<\/p>\n

Read more Florida\u2019s Curriculum on Communism \u2014 Every State Should Follow Suit<\/a><\/p>\n

RIP Dolly Parton, a great American.<\/p>\n

READ MORE from Larry Thornberry:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Panic Over Democratic Socialism<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Newspapers Ruled Morning and Evening<\/strong><\/p>\n

Futbol: The Beautiful Game, Allegedly<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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