08/26/2026
Today, the Pi Beta Phi community honors a true daughter of the Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton. 🦋
Dolly’s generosity, kindness, and love for the people and children of East Tennessee are woven into the story of our community. Her Smoky Mountain spirit is unmatched, and the impact she has made on generations of families will never be forgotten.
These special photos take us back to a Parks as Classrooms field trip in the 1990s, when Dolly joined Pi Beta Phi students in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. What a treasure to have these moments preserved. This serves as a reminder that her connection to our mountains has always been about more than simply calling them home. She has continually given back, inspired others, and made the children of the Smokies feel special.
Dolly represents so much of what we hope to instill in our students: kindness, generosity, pride in where you come from, and using your gifts to make the world around you better.
Her legacy will forever be part of these mountains and the generations of children who grow up beneath them.
Dolly, you make us proud to call the Smokies home, and you make us proud to be Mountaineers. 💙🤍
The Smokies will always love you, Dolly.
