Three days after Dolly Parton’s death, Tennessee has moved to honour its beloved country music icon by proposing that Nashville International Airport be renamed after her.
According to Deadline, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced on Friday that they intend to rename the airport in Parton’s honour, reviving a proposal that gained fresh momentum following her death.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in a 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 and greet travellers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith and kindness.”
Parton’s team supports the idea and said they were “touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation”.
Parton’s influence on Tennessee and beyond extends through her philanthropic work, including the Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library.
The proposal to rename the airport first emerged last year after a separate suggestion sought to name it after President Donald Trump. Support for the Dolly Parton campaign surged following her death, with the petition receiving a sharp increase in signatures.
Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, said Parton’s legacy reflected Nashville’s ability to welcome people from all walks of life.
“Dolly’s remarkable legacy reminds us that what makes Nashville special is our ability to welcome people from every walk of life,” he said, adding that she believed dignity, kindness and opportunity should not depend on a person’s background or socioeconomic status.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell also backed the proposal. He noted on social media that Parton had been working with the city on SongTeller, a hotel and museum project she described as her love letter to Nashville.
“Now it’s our turn to share a love letter to Dolly — by renaming Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport in Nashville,” O’Connell wrote.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority will discuss its current naming policy and Lee’s proposal at its meeting on 17 September.
The airport currently uses the code BNA, short for Berry Field Nashville Airport. The facility takes its name from Col. Harry Smith Berry, a Tennessee native and US Army veteran of both World War I and World War II who helped establish the airfield.
