Will Lepard, a student at Aledo High School in Texas, spent more than 40 hours painting a mural of beloved country singer Dolly Parton on his senior parking spot. Last weekend, he was devastated to learn that his project had been spray painted over. “I literally broke down in the store, told my husband we have got to go, called him crying because I’m just heartbroken,” said Molley Michel, Lepard’s mom. “That was like his masterpiece.” But the young Dolly fan is resolved to paint it again. “First of all, I can show myself I can do better,” he told his local NBC. “And also prove to whoever did it that I'm not going to give up for a spot that I spent so much time on.” This is not the first vandalism of a Dolly Parton mural. In downtown Knoxville, a portrait by the graffiti artist Colton Valentine got defaced in 2020 and 2021. Lepard said that he can’t help feeling targeted. “Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to identify anyone involved, but we are asking anyone who has information related to this incident to come forward,” the school district said in a statement. “With Will’s can-do attitude and forgiving spirit, we can’t wait to see him create another masterpiece for everyone to enjoy.”
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