Hello Dolly, in Three Takes

After my Mom retired, she moved in 1991 from our Suburban Chicago home to Madison. Mom's former physician colleagues treated her to a "going-away dinner" at the swank restaurant at the top of the Hancock Tower. Mom found the dinner a bit pretentious—she ordered Quail and reported it felt like she was eating a toad. The highlight of the meal, however, was the location of the women's table: they sat behind a group hosting Dolly Parton.

Suburban Chicago, October 1991. Mom is ready to depart.

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Chicago, Illinois, October 1991. Mom didn't get a photo of herself with Dolly Parton, but you can see Ms. Parton sitting behind Mom's group.

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Chicago, Illinois, October 1991. Ms. Parton was most gracious when Mom took her photo. Mom—who is quite tiny—still remarks about how small Dolly Parton was.