Key Takeaways
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee asked Nashville International Airport to rename BNA in honor of Dolly Parton, calling the late country icon the state’s “favorite daughter.”
- Airport officials will consider the proposal and naming policy on Sept. 17, while Parton’s team has expressed appreciation and openness to further discussion.
- The tribute would recognize Parton’s six-decade music career and philanthropy, including an Imagination Library program that mails more than 2 million free children’s books each month.
Dolly Parton could soon become the first name travelers see when they arrive in Music City. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced plans on Friday, August 28, to rename BNA in honor of the late country music legend, setting up one of the most prominent permanent tributes to emerge following her death at 80.
The proposal is not official just yet. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority will consider both Lee’s request and its existing naming policy during a Sept. 17 meeting. Parton’s team has already been approached about the idea and reportedly expressed appreciation for the support, saying it was open to continuing the conversation.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in an official statement. “At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter.”
Lee said the airport would introduce visitors to Parton’s lasting influence through her “music, generosity, faith, and kindness.” The exact name being considered has not been revealed, meaning travelers may have to wait a little longer before finding out whether they will someday be booking flights into Dolly Parton International Airport—or another variation bearing her name.
Parton’s journey from a one-room cabin in Sevier County to global superstardom became inseparable from Tennessee’s cultural identity. Across a career spanning more than six decades, she wrote classics including “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5,” built Dollywood into a major tourist destination and developed a film career that made her recognizable far beyond country music.
Her reach extended well beyond entertainment. Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 as a tribute to her father, who could not read or write. The program grew into an international literacy effort that mails more than 2 million free books every month to children from birth through age five. It has distributed nearly 200 million books across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.
That record of generosity is central to the proposed airport renaming. BNA president and CEO Doug Kreulen described the airport as “the front door to Music City” and said Parton represented the welcoming spirit Nashville wants to project.
“She understood that dignity, kindness and opportunity should never be defined by where you come from or your socioeconomic status,” Kreulen said. “Whether you are boarding a private aircraft or taking your first flight, you deserve to be welcomed, respected and served with the same level of care.”
The proposal arrives as friends, former co-stars and fans continue reflecting on Parton’s influence. Sylvester Stallone remembered the warmth she brought to the set of their 1984 movie Rhinestone, while GLAAD praised her decades of support for LGBTQ people. Other tributes have highlighted her $1 million donation toward COVID-19 research and her commitment to literacy.
