Laurie
I heart Leonard
On August 16, 1977 at 2:33pm in the afternoon Elvis Presley died.
I was 14 years old and had loved him, yes LOVED him since I was 7. At the time I was at church camp with my sister Lisa and our neighbor and Lisa's best friend, Sue Johnson. Believe it or not I heard this horrible news while I was alone in the cabin going to the bathroom. It was close to supper time and everyone else was heading up to the chow hall so I was alone. I know I cried but I was told I screamed and loud enough that a lot of camp members heard me. Word got to Lisa and Sue and they rushed back and came to my side and the three of us stood in a small circling holding on to one another.
My counselor had heard the news earlier in the day and asked the others what she should do. The first night there everyone went around the room and talked about what they really wanted and I said all I really wanted was to see Elvis in concert one day and even more get to meet him in person. The other counselors told her not to say anything and I know they all thought I wouldn't hear the news until I returned home at the end of the week. And they thought saying nothing was best.
I cannot tell you how much I cried, my throat was sore, my eyes were sore--my heart was broken.
My parents called to see if they should come and pick me up but it was decided on that being at church camp was the best place for me then.
Back then and still today everyone who knew me knew I loved Elvis. My mom told me that all my school friends, and all of their friends called to tell me the news or to say how sorry they were. Some of my school teachers called even though it was during the summer.
At 14 I can't say I grew strength from the Lord during this horrible time. But I do believe I was at the right place at the wrong time.
What helped me most was having Lisa and Sue there. Neither of them huge Elvis fans but they were fans of mine and loved me and their love and love of really the entire church camp helped me through such an awful time.
Having liked Elvis, The King, at such a young age I was the stand alone in my friends and classmates. While everyone else was digging on Donny Osmond and David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman I was doing the Elvis thing. And it remained that way my whole life. Other girls were into Andy Gibb and Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett and I was always just Elvis. But none of my friends ever made me fun of me for loving Elvis. While I was giving girls records of Andy, Shaun, Leif, Donny and Bobby, they were giving me Elvis albums! I only knew one other person I went to school with who liked him as much as me, Tad Muth--his mother even sewed high collars on his shirts for him and he grew his hair long before anyone else did at that age to emulate The King.
I had a chance to see Elvis in his last concert in Milwaukee, WI. My uncle Tom (really a family friend) had tickets. He asked my parents if he could take me and my mother said, "Tom, Laurie will have plenty of years ahead of her to see Elvis. You take your girlfriend" So there went my chance--Uncle Tom didn't even stay with that girlfriend and I never got to see Elvis. This is something that bothers all three of us--Tom, me and my mother, to this day! But I think more than any of us it bothers my mom. She had the chance to see Elvis in 1956 at the a local county fair and my grandmother wouldn't let her go! She said he was the spawn of the devil--yes my very own grandmother thought he was evil! Her friends, Sue and Sue went though, but she couldn't. Sue Eber got an autographed picture of Elvis at that county fair and when she is no longer here it will be mine.
But I will see him someday, and someday we will talk and laugh and I will feel happy and content.
And until then I know Lisa is telling him wonderful things about me and how much I loved him as a young girl and never stopped that love as I grew into an adult.
My love for Elvis was never separated into young Elvis or old Elvis or fat Elvis or skinny Elvis. To me he is the most handsome man I've ever seen and I know no one will ever be more handsome than The King--no one, not even Alex O. I think he was a wonderful actor before they made him do the silly comedies (that I also love) and he is still the best singer I've ever heard. To me Elvis is the total package.
I love you Elvis, will love you forever! I'm sorry what fame did to you.
I was 14 years old and had loved him, yes LOVED him since I was 7. At the time I was at church camp with my sister Lisa and our neighbor and Lisa's best friend, Sue Johnson. Believe it or not I heard this horrible news while I was alone in the cabin going to the bathroom. It was close to supper time and everyone else was heading up to the chow hall so I was alone. I know I cried but I was told I screamed and loud enough that a lot of camp members heard me. Word got to Lisa and Sue and they rushed back and came to my side and the three of us stood in a small circling holding on to one another.
My counselor had heard the news earlier in the day and asked the others what she should do. The first night there everyone went around the room and talked about what they really wanted and I said all I really wanted was to see Elvis in concert one day and even more get to meet him in person. The other counselors told her not to say anything and I know they all thought I wouldn't hear the news until I returned home at the end of the week. And they thought saying nothing was best.
I cannot tell you how much I cried, my throat was sore, my eyes were sore--my heart was broken.
My parents called to see if they should come and pick me up but it was decided on that being at church camp was the best place for me then.
Back then and still today everyone who knew me knew I loved Elvis. My mom told me that all my school friends, and all of their friends called to tell me the news or to say how sorry they were. Some of my school teachers called even though it was during the summer.
At 14 I can't say I grew strength from the Lord during this horrible time. But I do believe I was at the right place at the wrong time.
What helped me most was having Lisa and Sue there. Neither of them huge Elvis fans but they were fans of mine and loved me and their love and love of really the entire church camp helped me through such an awful time.
Having liked Elvis, The King, at such a young age I was the stand alone in my friends and classmates. While everyone else was digging on Donny Osmond and David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman I was doing the Elvis thing. And it remained that way my whole life. Other girls were into Andy Gibb and Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett and I was always just Elvis. But none of my friends ever made me fun of me for loving Elvis. While I was giving girls records of Andy, Shaun, Leif, Donny and Bobby, they were giving me Elvis albums! I only knew one other person I went to school with who liked him as much as me, Tad Muth--his mother even sewed high collars on his shirts for him and he grew his hair long before anyone else did at that age to emulate The King.
I had a chance to see Elvis in his last concert in Milwaukee, WI. My uncle Tom (really a family friend) had tickets. He asked my parents if he could take me and my mother said, "Tom, Laurie will have plenty of years ahead of her to see Elvis. You take your girlfriend" So there went my chance--Uncle Tom didn't even stay with that girlfriend and I never got to see Elvis. This is something that bothers all three of us--Tom, me and my mother, to this day! But I think more than any of us it bothers my mom. She had the chance to see Elvis in 1956 at the a local county fair and my grandmother wouldn't let her go! She said he was the spawn of the devil--yes my very own grandmother thought he was evil! Her friends, Sue and Sue went though, but she couldn't. Sue Eber got an autographed picture of Elvis at that county fair and when she is no longer here it will be mine.
But I will see him someday, and someday we will talk and laugh and I will feel happy and content.
And until then I know Lisa is telling him wonderful things about me and how much I loved him as a young girl and never stopped that love as I grew into an adult.
My love for Elvis was never separated into young Elvis or old Elvis or fat Elvis or skinny Elvis. To me he is the most handsome man I've ever seen and I know no one will ever be more handsome than The King--no one, not even Alex O. I think he was a wonderful actor before they made him do the silly comedies (that I also love) and he is still the best singer I've ever heard. To me Elvis is the total package.
I love you Elvis, will love you forever! I'm sorry what fame did to you.
