UNION CITY, Tenn. — 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.