I thought I would share this story from the past . . . it happened about 34 years ago. Another Story . . . Remembering Elvis and Eddie Elvis died in 1977. But he is sure to show up at some unexpected and unusual times. Tupelo, Mississippi is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. After his death, Tupelo really began to develop the park named after him. One of the additions was a small chapel on the grounds that people use for weddings. It was completed in 1979 and it was to be dedicated on the anniversary of his death, as I recall. That was 34 years ago. A brief aside: I am told that the church Elvis attended is a block or two away; it was moved from its original location and made into a home years ago. The new building built long after Elvis left Tupelo has had visitors who regularly cut threads from the carpet, hoping Elvis had walked on them. Back to the original story. It amazes me as to how many people flock to the little, white, framed, two room house. It too was moved from its original location. It was further out in the country. Closer to town, people swing on the front porch, take photographs and enjoy the beauty of the park. It is a nice place to visit. There was a man who loved Elvis a great deal on the east side of Tupelo. His name was Eddie. Eddie was a car salesman at his used car lot and really, he was good at it too. His cars weren’t all that expensive; he had a niche that he was filling with affordable cars. I really liked Eddie and I often stopped by his place to shoot the breeze. We talked cars and we talked Elvis sometimes. Eddie let his sideburns grow out; they had that pork chop-look like Elvis had. It was uncanny: Eddie’s profile looked like Elvis, especially when he wore those sun glasses with the diamonds on the side. To attract customer sometimes, Eddie would wear his white Elvis jumpsuit that was quite embellished with sequins and studs of all kinds. He even had the cape. Eddie would stand in front of his car lot and strike a pose. It attracted customers, lookers for sure. Remember, there was a dedication to be planned for the chapel’s opening. It was a big deal. I had been hired as the Elvis Presley Commission’s photographer . . . for Tupelo. So I was to be there for the entire event. There were a lot of people. There were at least eight Trailways busses filled with Brits who had saved to make the Mecca-like trip. Who else? The Colonel, none other than Colonel Tom Parker was to be one of the distinguished guests. Joan Deary with RCA records was the executive representing that record label. Ricky Nelson and his band were to be there. Geraldo Rivera was just a reporter then; he was to be there with his crew. The crowd continues to grow. City officials were to be on the agenda, along with state dignitaries. The Mayor of Tupelo, Clyde Whitaker would speak too. And many other people would fill the grounds to participate in this historic event. I lived in the Auburn Community then and as I was driving into town one day, not too long before the big dedication day, I noticed that Eddie had a new car on his lot. It was a black, stretched, Cadillac Limousine. I believe it was a 1977 model. I had to stop. Eddie was working on it, on the passenger side, at the front. His rather large frame, leaning in across the seat, he was affixing a brass plaque to the dashboard. It read: Custom made for Elvis Presley. Eddie was up to something and he told me to be quiet and not tell anyone what he was doing. The day came for the dedication of the new Chapel. It was to be unveiled so everyone could finally see inside, to see the fruition of nearly two years of planning and building. All the dignitaries that I mentioned showed up. I got to meet the Colonel and Joan Deary. She gave me an unpublished record of Elvis’ singing. (My mother took that away from me and I haven’t seen it since.) Ricky Nelson was to play. Geraldo was getting interviews. One of those included a woman who changed Elvis’ first diaper. Really? Really. So the stage was set, literally and figuratively. Don’t jump ahead too far. But a local police officer, who sang at events like this took to the stage. He sang God Bless America. There was applause. And as the applause died down, there was the sound of a helicopter’s blades swatting the air overhead. It was landing on the adjoining baseball field. When the dust settled, it was our governor stepping from the bird, to the field and now on stage and the agenda to speak. Order was restored and the dust has settled. There were those speeches from different people, sharing stories and patting folks on the back. Things seemed to be predictable. The agenda was being followed and everything was cool. I stepped away from the crowd to get a wide shot of the gathering. I walked toward the street where there were the eight busses parked. I wanted this angle so I could get the crowd, the stage and the chapel. I thought that would be a good composition to remember the event. But something else would make it memorable. To my surprise, I looked over my shoulder to see the big, black Cadillac Limo coming down the street. I recognized it. Surely not . . . but, yep, it was Eddie, dressed as Elvis, being chauffeured. Something was about to happen. I could feel it. When that limo’s profile appeared from behind the busses, driving very, very slowly, Eddie had rolled the window down. Eddie’s profile was way too close to looking like Elvis. There was the scarf and the white jumpsuit and the glasses. This was happening behind the stage. The audience could see Eddie or was it Elvis . . . However the dignitaries on the stage were oblivious to why there was a noise erupting from the crowd. The speeches weren’t that good, so as to elicit such an exuberant response. The limo eased into the parking lot. There was a mass exodus from the stands. Chaos had come to the ceremony, yet one more time. These loyal fans thought Elvis had arrived. They mobbed the car and Geraldo was running across the place to get a shot. He’d have an exclusive, maybe. I knew it was Eddie. I knew I couldn’t say enough to dissuade the emotional response to the slim possibility of seeing Elvis . . . maybe alive. With the throngs of people surrounding the limo, trying to see in all the tinted windows, Eddie (or was it Elvis?) rolled the window up, creating and perpetuating a mystery that’s still unsolved today. He had his chauffeur drive out the other side of the parking lot, maybe into another dimension. I didn’t see Geraldo’s story of the day. I don’t know if he reported the sighting or not. I don’t remember too much of the remaining ceremony. The chapel was dedicated. I took the pictures for sure. It’s hard to follow Elvis. Everything else pales in comparison.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 23:18:40 +0000
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