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Country music icon, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton dedicated her life to giving back to her home state of Tennessee, and now, three days after her death, her state is ready to give back to her, renewing an earlier
proposal to rename the Nashville International Airport in her honor.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the Nashville International Airport announced in a joint statement on Friday their intentions to change the name of the airport.
“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 travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith and kindness.”
According to the statement, Parton’s team supports the change and is “touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation.” With her Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library, Parton’s profound influence on Tennessee and the country is widely recognized.
The name change was first proposed last year when a petition was started in the wake of a proposal to rename the airport for President Trump. The number of signatures on the petition exploded after her death.
“Dolly’s remarkable legacy reminds us that what makes Nashville special is our ability to welcome people from every walk of life,” Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority said. “She understood that dignity, kindness and opportunity should never be defined by where you come from or your socioeconomic status.”
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell expressed his support on social media, writing, “Dolly was in the process of working with us on a remarkable hotel and museum — SongTeller — that she called 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.”
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority’s (MNAA) current naming policy and Lee’s proposal to rename the airport will be discussed at MNAA’s meeting on Sept. 17.
Nashville International Airport currently uses the airport code BNA, which stands for Berry Field Nashville Airport. The facility takes its name from World War I and World War II U.S. Army veteran Col. Harry Smith Berry, a Tennessee native who helped establish the airfield.
