Dolly Parton’s philanthropy inspiration was her father who couldn’t read or write: ‘I saw how crippling that could be’

While it may not be adorned in rhinestones and diamonds, Dolly Parton’s name is now etched over the doors of the former East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, which earlier this year announced it would be named after the legendary country music star. 

Parton, who hailed from Locust Ridge, Tenn., worked for decades on behalf of kids and families in her home state and far beyond. Her family announced Tuesday Parton has died. She was 80.

The nonprofit pediatric facility, which has served the region for roughly 90 years, entered the partnership with Parton, and hospital leaders said it would deepen its mission to treat every child “as one of our own.”

For Parton, whose philanthropy long focused on children’s health, education, and opportunity, the renaming serves as a symbol of commitment that started at her own kitchen table growing up, watching her father, Robert Lee Parton, who never learned to read or write. 

Parton’s philanthropic work largely focused on children’s needs; she donated millions of books to children locally and across the U.S. For her immense philanthropic commitment, Parton earned the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022, and...