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UNION CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Robert Kirkland, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who built a national chain of home decor stores and donated $100 million to found the Discovery Park of America education center and tourist attraction in northwest Tennessee, has died at age 77.
Kirkland's son, Chris, told The Associated Press that his father died Saturday morning from complications stemming from kidney failure. A memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday at Discovery Park, which will be closed to the general public on that day.
Kirkland was born in Newberry, South Carolina, but he lived in Union City for much of his life. Kirkland grew up the son of retailers who owned and operated a Ben Franklin five and dime store.
In 1966, he and cousin Carl Kirkland founded the Kirkland's home decor stores, which expanded into a chain of more than 300 locations in 35 states.
The cousins also founded CBK Ltd, which shipped gift and home decor items to customers around the world from a distribution center in Union City, population 11,000.
By the late 1990s, Robert Kirkland and his wife, Jenny, had sold their business holdings and began to concentrate on philanthropic efforts through the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation. One of those projects was Discovery Park of America, which opened in 2013.
Housed in a futuristic-looking, gleaming-white structure built in a rural field in Union City, Discovery Park has exhibits about natural and regional history, dinosaurs, Native Americans, energy, transportation, science, the military and space flight. An earthquake simulator causes the floor to tremble, a 120-foot glass observation tower offers stunning views, and a 50-foot metal replica of the human body includes a 32-foot slide.
The 50-acre complex also boasts an old train depot, a century-old church, a rotating grist mill, antique tractors, log cabins and flower gardens, giving a glimpse of what life was once like in rural America.
Discovery Park attracted about 300,000 visitors in its first year, and it continues to add exhibits and attractions on the strength of Kirkland's $100 million donation.
"He was a man who loved learning and was always curious about how things worked," Chris Kirkland said. "Discovery Park was really an extension of that curiosity and wanting to instill in children and adults a continued craving for knowledge and understanding."
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