What’s a legacy?

Sue Gregson,

Today is my 65th birthday. It’s a cliché but I’m feeling over the hill. It doesn’t matter that I’m hardly alone. The 65 and over age bracket is the fastest-growing population segment in the country, driven by Americans over the age of 85.

Oh joy, I’m not the only one on the hike.

I have a menopause manifesto somewhere else on this site, so I won’t wax poetic  on the travails of growing older, but age and mortality have been occupying my thoughts lately. Especially since the death of Dolly Parton on August 25. She was by all accounts a talented entertainer and shrewd businesswoman. She won Grammies and CMAs and starred in an Oscar-nominated film. Dolly wrote thousands of songs, many of them hits for her and others. But all of this seemed to take a backseat in her countless accolades.

Rather, people talked about her compassion, how she lit up a room, took care of her friends, family, and colleagues, and looked out for the less fortunate. She helped reinvigorate a neighborhood in Nashville and supported the animal rescue there. She donated millions to the pediatric section of Nashville’s Vanderbilt Hospital where she died of cancer. Her Imagination Library Foundation gave millions of books (many in Braille) to children up to the age of 5 to promote literacy in this country. She helped fund the development of Moderna’s Covid vaccine, protecting millions of lives during the pandemic.

In her 80 years she avoided scandal and seemed to be beloved by everyone. She was not shy about her deep faith, helped when she could, and was kind. Reading about her legacy made me think of my own. It’s well past the time for me to win a Grammy and I don’t have millions to donate, but I have time to volunteer, and I can be compassionate. It’s not too late to work on that legacy. Thanks, Dolly.

Sue Gregson

Sue Gregson is a business writer and kids’ book author who used to work for the Delaware and Maryland state governments in the education, legislative, affordable housing, and community development arenas. She’s volunteered for federal, state, and local political campaigns for nearly 50 years. Sue is not growing old gracefully.

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