We were all saddened to learn of the unexpected death of one of the most universally loved and admired Americans in history, Dolly Parton. When was the last time a celebrity died and no one had a bad word to say about them? She was the personification of kindness, of niceness, and of generosity.
Not to mention practicality. Ms. Parton was One of Us. She wasn’t shy about admitting that she carried a gun.
In about the same 24-hour period, we lost one of the great modern police use of force instructors. Vince O’Neill began his career as a Kansas cop and went on to become a famous instructor at Oklahoma’s state academy. Recognizing the dangers of provincialism in institutional training, he brought in many outside specialists including me to teach there. Vince O’Neill was a true polymath, the rare one who excelled in every corner of a multidimensional discipline: a champion shooter and master firearms instructor, he was also a master of hand-to-hand control and arrest tactics, less-lethal weaponry, and policy development.
I’m sure it was coincidence that they both passed so close together. Still, I like to think that it might just be that when God called for Dolly Parton, he felt she deserved the best possible bodyguard to accompany her on the way up.
Totally agree. I like the fact that Dolly stayed married to the same man for nearly 59 years. That is probably some kind of record in show biz.
Presidential order – flags at half-staff – for a week. High praise indeed.
Beautiful lady, beautiful heart, May she know eternity in the presence of her lord. Amen
My old supervisor, at work, had an interesting story about Dolly Parton. I won’t give his name, but his initials were HIT. We nicknamed him the “HIT Man” at work but this was tongue-in-cheek. HIT was a good boss. He was hard working, competent, and fair. He was a small, trim man who had the energy level of a gray squirrel!
I worked with HIT for many years, before he retired, and got to know him well. He once told me a story about meeting Dolly Parton.
HIT, and his wife, owned a very nice home, South of Nashville, in a good neighborhood. As it turns out, Dolly also lived in that same neighborhood. Given Dolly’s work, she lived much of her life in the Nashville area.
Anyway, HIT was off work for the holidays and had some of his relatives come to visit him at his home. That year, a nasty ice and snowstorm blew in for the holidays. HIT was trapped at home for a couple of days with his relatives. Finally, the storm blew out, and a glorious Winter’s Day dawned with a blue sky floating over a Winter Wonder Land (WWL). HIT decided to put on his parka and boots and go out to see the WWL. His nephew decided to join him.
As they crunched their way through the neighborhood, they came upon a car that was spinning its wheels trying to climb a small hill. A couple of people, also dressed in parkas, were behind the car trying to give it a push. HIT and his nephew decided to help. They crunched over and joined the push team. With four people pushing, they got the car up far enough for the wheels to gain traction and the car, with happy driver, got over the hill.
At this point, the smallest member of the push team, who HIT saw was a woman, put down her hood and thanked HIT and his nephew sweetly for their help. To HIT’s amazement, he saw that the woman was Dolly Parton. With her hood down, he recognized her immediately.
HIT told Dolly that she was welcome and then he, and his nephew, crunched back to the HIT home where a hot dinner awaited them.
HIT was a very honest man who was not prone to make up fairy tales. So, I have no doubt that his encounter with Dolly Parton happened exactly as he said. Furthermore, I think this story is emblematic of Dolly’s character. Dolly grew up in poverty in a place where neighbors helped each other. We see Dolly’s core characteristics, of humbleness and generosity, displayed in this casual incident. How many other famous stars can you name that would put on a parka, go out in the cold, and dirty their hands to help some stranger get their car up a froze hillside? Dolly did not think twice before doing it. She spent her life entertaining and helping others and was humble and down-to-earth all the way.
What the Earth has lost, in sorrow, heaven has gained in joy!
Dolly was five feet tall (1.52 meters). She could have opted out of that task because she was a short woman. Most impressive.
Dolly was known because of her incredible songwriting, singing and performance talent. But her greatest quality was that she was a deeply good person with a beautiful soul.
Thank you for telling us that tale. Beautiful woman, talented, and kind. God bless her.
Dolly was a national treasure universally loved.We need a
dolly day on the calendar.
I suggest September 25 – 9 to 5!
Dolly Parton > Quotes
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!”
“Its hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.”
“I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
“It’s a good thing I was born a girl, otherwise I’d be a drag queen.”
“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”
“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.”
“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap”
“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb – and I’m not blonde either.”
“I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give’em yours!”
“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.”
“My weaknesses have always been food and men – in that order.”
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
“They think I’m simpleminded because I seem to be happy. Why shouldn’t I be happy? I have everything I ever wanted and more. Maybe I am simpleminded. Maybe that’s the key: simple.”
“I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department four days to put it out.”
“When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.”
“Smile — it increases your face value.”
“If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.”
“Cause I am strong and I can prove it
And I got my dreams to see me through
It’s just a mountain, I can move it
And with faith enough there’s nothing I can’t do
And I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And I can see the light of brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And everything’s gonna be all right
It’s gonna be okay
[lyrics from “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”]”
“I make jokes about it, but it’s the truth that I kind of patterned my look after the town tramp. I didn’t know what she was, just this woman who was blond and piled her hair up, wore high heels and tight skirts, and, boy, she was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. Momma used to say, “Aw, she’s just trash,” and I thought, That’s what I want to be when I grow up. Trash.”
“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.
“the magic is inside you. there ain’t no crystal ball”
“Sometimes my mouth is a little too big and a little too open and sounds too much like a sailor.”
“If I see something saggin’, baggin’, or draggin’, I’m gone have it nipped, tucked, or sucked!”
“If you talk bad about country music, it’s like saying bad things about my momma. Them’s fightin’ words”
“I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable.”
Fabulous!
When someone remarked how small her feet were, she replied: “Honey, nothin’ grows big in the shade.”
How we will miss her.
The most amazing part of Dolly’s life was all the good she did, and in some cases is still doing through organizations carrying on her legacy, without most folks knowing about it.