A campaign to rename Nashville International Airport in Dolly Patron’s honor has amassed almost 50,000 signatures from fans of the legendary country music performer.
“As proud citizens of Tennessee, we are motivated by our deep-rooted admiration for the national treasure and Tennessee legend, Dolly Parton,” according to the Change.org petition.
“She is not only a celebrated artist who encourages love, acceptance, and goodwill through her music, but also a philanthropist, known for her countless contributions to society.”
Since its launch on January 21, the petition has amassed close to 50,000 signatures.
“It is only fitting that an institution as significant as Nashville International Airport carries the name of such a remarkable woman,” according to the petition.
According to the organizers, Dolly Parton deserves recognition for her “philanthropic efforts and her outstanding influence in the music industry.”
“Dolly has made substantial impacts on thousands of lives, especially through her Imagination Library program, which has gifted over 100 million books to children since it began in 1995,” the organizers stated.
“We request that the airport’s name be changed to Dolly Parton International Airport to honor an icon who has given so much to our state and to the world,” the petition continued. “We could all be Departin’ from Parton!”
Additionally, after Hurricane Helene made landfall along the Florida coast on September 26, 2024, and ravaged the Carolinas, Parton gave $1 million of her personal funds to recovery operations.
Additionally, Parton’s Dollywood contributed $1 million to the relief fund by making a donation to The Mountain Ways Foundation.
“I’m happy to be here,” Parton stated during a press conference. “And I’m sure a lot of you are wondering where I’ve been. Everybody’s saying, ‘Where’s Dolly? Well, I’ve been like everybody else, trying to absorb everything going on, trying to figure out all the best ways to do this,” she continued before singing about Hurricane Helene to the tune of her hit song, “Jolene.”
Parton, who was born and reared in eastern Tennessee, stated that she wanted to give back to her hometown.
“We’re all here to mend these broken hearts, and that’s what I’m doing here,” she stated. “So, I really, really wish that we were all together for another reason.”
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that 249 people died as a result of Helene across seven states.
The petition is not directed against any politician, according to the Dolly Parton organizers, who started working on it before the Trump idea was finalized.
“The fact that this, that this idea had been already recently picked up in naming it after someone, it really kicked us and spurred us into action and saying, ‘If this is an option, if this is something that you’re willing to consider, think about Dolly’,” co-organizer Dan Dion stated.
No Tennessee lawmakers have officially responded to the petition or the draft bill that would be presented to the state legislature as of Monday.
House Bill 217, which would rename Nashville International Airport in Donald Trump’s honor, was filed by Republican State Representative Todd Warner of Tennessee back in January.
Warner, however, took the bill out of consideration before the House Naming & Designating Committee heard it on February 24.
There was considerable opposition to the bill in the committee, especially from the lawmakers from Nashville.
Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) stated, “First of all, this bill is a waste of time and money.” He also noted that Trump has “no connection to our community” and has led the nation “on the path of shame, on the path of recklessness.”
In the end, the bill did not proceed.
This information has been sourced from Fox News.
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