Elvis Presley’s Aloha from Hawaii jumpsuit and cape recreated in bronze statue in Tupelo

October 18, 2022 Trina Young elvis hawaii, Elvis Presley Travel, interview, Tupelo Mississippi becoming statue, david lee, Elvis aloha from hawaii, elvis at 13 statue, Elvis Presley, elvis presley birthplace, elvis statue, Elvis Tupelo, interview, michiel vandersommen, sculptor

Located at the top of the hill on the grounds of Elvis Presley’s birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi is a beautiful bronze statue called “Becoming.” It was created in 2015 by sculptor Michiel VanderSommen at the request of the Elvis Presley Birthplace Memorial Foundation.

It depicts two figures of Elvis: a young 11-year-old boy dreaming of what the future held for him, and the adult superstar Elvis dressed in the American Eagle jumpsuit and cape that Presley famously wore on his “Aloha from Hawaii” concert special in 1973.

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Elvis Presley’s Homecoming statue in Tupelo from every angle

May 17, 2022 Trina Young Elvis Presley Travel, Tupelo Mississippi Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley statue, elvis statue, elvis tupelo 1956, elvis virtual tour, tupelo concert

In August 2012, a bronze statue of Elvis Presley was unveiled in his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi. The statue of Elvis circa 1956 singing and reaching out his hand was based on an actual photo of Presley performing onstage at his historic 1956 homecoming concert in Tupelo.

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New Elvis Presley PBS documentary and plaque will recognize singer’s role in building the Pearl Harbor memorial in Hawaii – donations needed

March 25, 2021December 10, 2022 Trina Young elvis hawaii, Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley Travel elvis 1961, elvis concert, elvis documentary, elvis hawaii, elvis memorial, elvis plaque, Elvis Presley, pearl harbor memorial, uss arizona memorial, world war ii foundation

As a fan of both Elvis and Hawaii, I was disheartened when I visited the USS Arizona memorial in 2016 only to see virtually nothing mentioning Elvis Presley’s role in helping build the memorial. With his 1961 benefit concert in Hawaii and the massive publicity it generated, Presley was one of the major impetuses in raising the funds needed to complete the memorial.

Without Presley’s concert, the USS Arizona memorial may have never been finished. As George Chaplin wrote in the Honolulu Advertiser in 1991: “His [Presley’s] Hawaii concert did more than raise money. It created national publicity and revived public sentiment for the memorial. That September, Congress was prodded into voting $150,000; then the Hawaii Legislature added $50,000 to a previous contribution.”

The next year on Memorial Day 1962, over 20 years after the “date which will live in infamy” of December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona memorial was dedicated.

This year, Presley will finally get the historical recognition he deserves with a new documentary by the World War II Foundation called Elvis and The USS Arizona. In addition, filmmaker Tim Gray, the president of the foundation, is organizing the creation of a memorial plaque to be displayed in Honolulu to bring awareness to Presley’s role. Funds for the plaque will rely on public donations.

The Elvis News Examiner was granted an exclusive interview with Gray to discuss the project:

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Elvis Presley’s Graceland among top visited private homes in the U.S.

May 4, 2020August 31, 2022 Trina Young Elvis Presley Travel, memphis tennessee Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley home, graceland, home tour, mansion, national landmark

Graceland-mansionNA

When Priscilla Presley opened Graceland, the home of her ex-husband, Elvis Presley, to the public on June 7, 1982, she had no idea how many people would come. To her surprise, the 3,000 tickets available to visit Graceland the very first day sold out. And now, almost 40 years later, Graceland is one of the most visited private homes in the United States. Graceland receives around 600,000 visitors each year, compared to The White House and The Biltmore Estate which both receive approximately 900,000 visitors per year. In 2016, Graceland welcomed their 20-millionth visitor.

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Elvis Presley Travel Landmark in Memphis: Humes High School

February 24, 2020November 1, 2022 Trina Young Elvis Presley Travel, memphis tennessee Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley landmark, Elvis Presley Memphis, Elvis Presley Travel, George Klein, Humes High School, memphis tennessee, Red West

Elvis-HSgrad-photo — Elvis Presley senior year photo, 1953

The high school that helped shape Elvis Presley into a future rock and roll star still stands in Memphis, Tennessee. The most famous alumnus of Humes High School entered as an eighth-grader in 1948. Presley graduated from Humes on June 3, 1953.

Fans may be surprised to hear that Elvis Presley was an unpopular outcast in high school who was looked down on for having unusually long hair and dressing in a flamboyant style. But that changed a few months before graduation when Elvis performed in the annual high school talent show in April 1953.

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