Just Call Her ‘Dr. Dolly’: Parton Receives Ph.D.

 
 
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    Dolly Parton attends the opening night of ‘33 Variations’ at Eugene O’Neill Theatre on March 9, 2009 in New York City

 
 

FIRST PUBLISHED: May 8, 2009 3:14 PM EDT

KNOXVILLE, TN --

Award-winning entertainer, businesswoman and education advocate has a new title.

“Just think, I am Dr. Dolly!” she said Friday after receiving an honorary doctorate of humane and musical letters from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Always joking about her buxom figure, she added, “So when people say something about ‘Double-D,’ they will be thinking of something entirely different.”

The audience of 1,069 new graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences roared with laughter and gave Parton a standing ovation.

Parton, a Tennessee native who is the fourth of 12 children from a poor Appalachian family, is well-known for her philanthropic work. Her Imagination Library sends a book to about 500,000 children each month from birth until they start school.

Copyright 2009 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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