By Brad Dison
Love at first site is such a rarity that it is usually only found in Hollywood films, but it can and does happen. By all accounts, Carl was tall, dark, and extremely… shy. On June 1, 1964, Carl was driving along the city’s 8th Avenue. As he approached the Wishy Washy laundromat, he saw Rebecca standing just outside its door.
On the day before, Rebecca had graduated from high school. She had anxiously awaited her graduation day because she planned to move from the one-room rural childhood home she shared with her parents and 11 siblings to a city 200 miles away which offered many more opportunities. Rebecca’s aunt and uncle had agreed to let her rent the upstairs apartment in their small house. When graduation day came, Rebecca went to the graduation ceremony and then gathered her clothes to leave. She was in such a hurry making plans to leave that she had forgotten to do her laundry. On Rebecca’s first day in the big city, rather than taking in the sights, she walked to the Wishy Washy laundromat. She put her clothes in the coin-operated washers and started the machine. When the washing machine stopped a half hour or so later, Rebecca transferred her laundry to a drier. To ease her boredom, Rebecca walked out of the laundromat to take a look around.
At that precise moment, Carl caught a glimpse of Rebecca. He then did something that was so out of character that he surprised himself. He pulled up beside her and said, “you’re going to get a sunburn out here.” The last thing Rebecca was looking for was a man. She had left two boyfriends, which she had at the same time, back home when she moved to the big city. Before Rebecca could even formulate her reply, she knew their meeting was destiny. She said later, “I knew it was him, and he knew it was me.” The topic of their conversation was not a memorable one, but they just enjoyed being in each other’s presence. It was love at first sight.
Carl visited Rebecca when their schedules allowed. He worked in construction and she as a babysitter. A few days later, Carl asked Rebecca to dinner, an invitation she immediately accepted. Rather than going to one of the many restaurants in the city, they drove to Carl’s parents’ house. When they walked in the door, Carl said, “Get this girl a plate. This is the girl I’m going to marry.” Rebecca was flattered. Carl realized soon thereafter that there was a problem. Carl and Rebecca lived on opposite sides of the city. One day, Carl told Rebecca, “You’re either going to have to move to the other end of town or we’re going to have to get married.” Rebecca responded, “Is that a proposal? I accept.” That weekend, Carl and Rebecca began an almost 59-year marriage in Ringgold, Georgia, which lasted until Carl died last month. For Carl and Rebecca, it was certainly love at first sight when they met outside the Wishy Washy laundromat in Nashville, Tennessee. Because of his shyness, most of us would never have recognized Carl Thomas Dean by sight or by name, but the world knows Rebecca. You see, Rebecca is the middle name of country legend Dolly Parton.
Source: “Dolly: God, Family and Show Business,” YouTube, October 11, 2024, accessed March 30, 2025, https://youtu.be/lek-CLwncqU?si=J0de4phWCnMjCcro.
