The world is remembering Dolly Parton — singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist and one of the most recognizable and beloved entertainers of all time.

At Healthy Aging®, we are remembering her for something else as well: her seemingly endless belief in dreaming, learning, giving back and continuing to pursue what comes next.

More than a decade ago, Dolly Parton graced the cover of the Winter 2013 print edition of Healthy Aging® Magazine. Inside, our feature, “Dolly Parton … Dream More.,” written by Mark Zalewski, and designed by award-winning creative director, Barbara Chapman, explored a philosophy that seemed to define both her remarkable career and her approach to life.

Today, in remembrance of Dolly Parton, we are sharing that original magazine feature online for everyone to read.

Dream More

By the time our article appeared, Parton had already accomplished more than most people could imagine.

She had become a country music superstar and successful songwriter, made the leap to Hollywood in movies including 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, built successful businesses and turned Dollywood into a major destination near the Tennessee community where she grew up.

She could easily have considered that enough.

She didn’t.

Our 2013 story was inspired in part by Parton’s book, Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You, which grew out of a commencement address she gave at the University of Tennessee.

Her philosophy centered on four simple ideas: dream more, learn more, care more and be more.

The article traced those ideas back to Parton’s childhood in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, where she was the fourth of 12 children and dreamed of performing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

Those childhood dreams became a career that ultimately stretched far beyond music.

As our story noted, Parton understood an important distinction between simply wishing for something and dreaming about it:

“Dreams are where you visualize yourself being successful at what’s important to you to accomplish… Wishes are hoping that good things happen to you.”

She also trusted herself. When advisers questioned her decision to invest in the struggling Tennessee theme park that would become Dollywood, Parton followed her own instincts.

“I know there is no greater expert on me than me,” she said.

Dolly Parton, accompanied by former Governor Phil Bredesen, reads a book produced by her non-profit Imagination Library, which gives children from birth through school-age a free book every month. Photo: Courtesy of Dollywood Foundation

Caring More — and a Legacy of Books

Perhaps nowhere was Parton’s philosophy more evident than in her commitment to giving back.

Our 2013 feature highlighted her work in her native Sevier County, Tennessee, including her support for a new hospital and, especially, her passion for children’s literacy.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library began in 1995 in Sevier County as a way to give young children books of their own and encourage a love of reading. Children enrolled in the program receive a free, age-appropriate book in the mail every month from birth to age five.

One of Dolly’s passions was providing young children with the opportunity to read, something she believed was crucial in child development. Photo: Shaun Flannery/Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council UK Launch of Imagination Library, with permission for Healthy Aging Magazine 2013 article.

Even in 2013, its reach was remarkable. When Healthy Aging® published our original feature, more than 660,000 children were receiving a book each month, and nearly 46 million books had been distributed through the program. Today, over 304, 535,000 books have been distributed across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

What began in Dolly’s hometown continued to grow far beyond the Great Smoky Mountains. Today, the Imagination Library continues her commitment to putting books into the hands of young readers and helping families discover the pleasure of reading together.

It is a legacy measured not simply in millions of books, but in millions of individual moments: a package arriving in the mail with a child’s name on it, a new story to discover and, perhaps, the beginning of a lifelong love of reading.

Underlying Parton’s philanthropy was a philosophy she described simply: a commitment to being “fair, generous and compassionate to everybody.”

Dolly Parton.  Photo: Courtesy of the Dollywood Foundation

A Message That Still Resonates

We ended our 2013 article by observing that Dolly Parton had already had countless opportunities to rest on her laurels — from her artistic awards and business successes to her philanthropic achievements.

Instead, she continued to strive for more.

We wrote then that her words offered something valuable to anyone wondering what to make of the next stage of life, “whether it be upon college graduation or the first day of retirement.”

Thirteen years later, those words seem especially fitting.

Dolly Parton spent a lifetime showing that there doesn’t have to be an age limit on dreaming, creating, learning, giving — or deciding there is still something more to do.

Today, we remember her by returning to the story we told in 2013 and the philosophy behind it.

Read the original Healthy Aging® Magazine feature: “Dolly Parton … Dream More.”