The Little Engine That Could: Dolly Parton’s Gifts to the World

Commentary

The fourth child of 12, Dolly Parton (1946–2026) grew up hard-scrabble poor in a cabin on Tennessee’s Little Pigeon River. One of her favorite childhood memories was of nestling into bed beside her mother and listening to her read from the Bible.

In her book “Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You,” she wrote: “The stories from the Old Testament were wild, vivid stories of good and bad that both scared and excited me. It made me want to know more, and most of all, it made me want to read more.”

In addition to the Bible, another book from her childhood became a source of light and inspiration for the rest of her life. Here’s what Parton said: “My favorite book of all time is ‘The Little Engine That Could’ by Watty Piper because it inspired me when I was just a kid and still inspires me today.

“Of course, everybody knows ‘I think I can, I think I can.’ To me, it is one of those simple but powerful messages for us all to believe in ourselves and always strive to fulfill your dreams. I often say that little phrase over and over to help conquer my apprehensions or my nerves before I am about to launch into something that is just a little bit scary to me. Once I do it, it restores my confidence and allows me to go from The Little Engine that Could to The Little Engine that Did!”

The Queen of Country Music

That mantra paid rich dividends.

By the age of 10, Parton was singing in her church and appearing on local radio and television shows. By 13, she had made her first appearance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The day after her high school graduation, she moved to Nashville. She met her husband for life, Carl Dean, at a laundromat on her first day in town, and she soon began her remarkable recording career.

Over the next 60 years, Parton struck gold with songs such as “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Just Because I’m a Woman,” and “Coat of Many Colors.”

Her voice and charisma on stage launched her into starring roles in movies and television, including her 1980 big-screen blockbuster “9 to 5,” which featured the title song that she wrote and that became a hit of its own.

These talents earned her 11 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Awards, and a Kennedy Center Honor. Throughout her long career, Parton’s music reached the top of the charts across genres as diverse as country, bluegrass, Christian, and rock ’n’ roll.

Commentators attribute her phenomenal success to her songwriting skills and output—she composed more than 3,000 songs—her energy, and her ability to connect with audiences. In this recipe for success, there was one other ingredient that is easily overlooked.

In 2024, Parton and her sister Rachel, the youngest of the 12 Parton children, released “Good Lookin’ Cookin’,” featuring favorite family dishes, many of them taken from childhood. Reminiscing about her mother’s talent for cooking, Rachel wrote: “She knew how to make anything, even with modest ingredients. We would ask, ‘Mama, how did you make this taste so good?’ She would always smile and say, ‘I made it with love.’”

Dolly Parton did the same with her music.

And the fortune that she accumulated in doing so has benefited countless millions of people.

Roots and Branches

Parton never forgot where she came from—a loving family and the mountain childhood of her youth. Consequently, over the past 40 years, she has shared much of her wealth with the people of her beloved East Tennessee.

Already known for her generosity, Parton opened Dollywood in 1986, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, an enterprise that pays homage to Smoky Mountain culture, entertains some 4 million visitors annually, and provides jobs and a stream of income to the region.

Two years later, she established the Dollywood Foundation, which granted scholarships so that students could remain in school and attend college.

When Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Appalachia in the fall of 2024, Parton and her various enterprises, in partnership with Walmart, donated millions of dollars to help with the recovery.

One particular charity close to Parton’s heart was her Imagination Library, which was inspired by her lifelong love of books and by her father, who never learned to read or write. Founded in 1995 with the people of East Tennessee in mind, Imagination Library began giving away books to children from birth to age 5.

Soon, the program expanded to include other areas of the United States and even Canada, Australia, and the UK. Today, the number of books given to these preschoolers has surpassed 300 million.

Some of the children who received these gifts referred to Parton as “the Book Lady” when she visited their schools, a title, she once said, that made her father prouder of her than all her awards for her singing and songwriting.

Following Parton’s death on Aug. 25, her family has asked those who wish to honor the songwriter to do that by making contributions to the Imagination Library.

Parton embodies both the American Dream and American philanthropy. By dint of her talent and whirlwind energy, she competed and excelled in the tough entertainment marketplace. Having triumphed in those endeavors, she then gave generously to the people and place that had first sparked and nurtured that talent.

She was a cherished icon, beloved by a wide spectrum of fans, a rare figure of concord and unity in today’s divisive partisan politics. 

Piper’s little engine that could was carrying gifts and food for children who lived on the other side of a mountain.

The 5-foot-tall Parton became her own little engine that could, carrying her gifts over the mountain and sharing them with the people of her state, her country, and the world.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.