DEAR OLE HUMES WE'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
YOU'RE THE GRANDEST OF ALL SCHOOLS
YOU HAVE ALWAYS TAUGHT US HONOR,
GIVING US LIFE'S GOLDEN RULE;
NOW YOUR WORK WILL GUIDE OUR FOOTSTEPS,
IN EACH DAY THAT PASSES BY
AND WE'LL GIVE THREE CHEERS,
FOR THOSE HAPPY YEARS
AT OLE HUMES HIGH!!!
ELVIS was of course lovingly memorialized, both as a great entertainer and a wonderful, classmate. He was special to them then and he is precious to them now, as were all of their lifelong chums--even Class president George Klein who did not attend. ELVIS fans constantly read about how he was this freakish, outcast loner as a youth that people remembered only for his loud clothes and greasy DA . . . if at all . . . this is a perception that has been crafted by outsiders intent on recreating ELVIS in their own image.
He had a rough go of it at first being the new kid from Tupelo. These kids had gone through grade school together and were in tight cliques, but they weren’t unsociable toward him. He was hazed pretty good at first by some of the upperclassmen, but within his class he was accepted. He was a part of the fabric of their world; he was not isolated from the times or the experiences of his fellow classmates. Plenty of girls thought he was cute, but they were shy and he was shy and broke.
They all barely had two nickels to rub together, so they had to use their ingenuity to have a teen social life. They would put their coins together to get a cheeseburger plate and a couple of Cokes then split it up 2 and sometimes 3 ways. They barely had enough to eat and hardly had much to wear. ELVIS wore his R.O.T.C uniform a lot and later his movie usher outfit, out of necessity more than style. He wasn’t the only one that did that. His hair went long often because he couldn’t afford a regular haircut appointment, but he didn’t have the longest hair in school and some kids had sideburns as well.
These people, had been raised by two parents and several grandparents to be considerate and polite. They were taught by their culture, their families, and their religion to care about the burdens of others no matter how heavy their load was. As it was in Tupelo, ELVIS was at the bottom of the social chain of poverty. Even now they hesitated to say that it was because his father was lazy. They’d see Vernon hanging around in the middle of the day when other fathers were out working and they felt bad for ELVIS, because of it. ELVIS worked more than most of the other kids, but had less than they did, because at times he was the sole breadwinner of the household, besides the public assistance they were receiving. That's also why he didn't have a lot of free time to pal around. Like the he said to the principal in the movie King Creole, "It ain't the working afterschool, it's the working before school." That was ELVIS' reality as a teen.
When the time came for his senior prom, ELVIS couldn’t afford the tickets, the tux or the corsage, so he was going to be unable to attend. Well these classmates that supposedly couldn’t stand him, launched a mission to get him there. Along with members of the faculty, they passed the hat and got the boy who would be King all that he needed for his big night and his teacher even hooked him up with a date at the last minute, because he hadn’t asked anyone. At the end of the year, he was unable to afford his senior annual and again a collection was taken to make sure that the boy they voted “Teacher’s Pet” got one. ELVIS’ supposed cousin Earl Greenwood wrote in his book how it was so pathetic, because only a few people had signed his book. That’s because he didn’t get it until right at the end of the day. ELVIS sure signed plenty of yearbooks. Those yearbooks with his signature go for around $5,000 and without it for around $2000. No one was selling, so the price will have to go up. The one he signed in the shrine at Humes High School he wrote next to his picture, "The King of Hollywood, someday . . . You never know!"
What was riveting to me was seeing the familiarity, of how these people interacted. The clock went back 50 years and in their eyes they saw each other as they were. Their memories were so ingrained that every look they shared held a 1000 stories of the people and places lost to the passage of time. Even if some of them had only seen each other a few times over the last 50 years or not since graduation, they were still best friends and old pals. They had shared adventures and discoveries of life and self. The first time they drove; the first time they parked; the first and last time they scored a touchdown, the first time they danced, one or more of them had been there and so they have a common being that links them eternally at their core. It's kind of interesting to note that Humes was the home of the Tigers and later when he moved to Audubon Drive he was near Memphis State who are also the Tigers and the high school team in Whitehaven is the Tigers; no wonder he dubbed himself, "Tiger Man."
As I watched these people closely, I had to wonder what it would’ve been like if ELVIS was there. Not as ELVIS himselvis, but as say a retired truck driver or cop, just there, shooting the breeze about the way things used to be when they were kids. I can just see him there, back to the wall in the corner, politely holding forth with his sly wit and beguiling charm, shoulder to shoulder with his classmates recalling the characters, events, haunts and the culture of the era then standing side by side with them singing the school song . . . if only . . .
ELVIS was alive for his 10 and 20-year reunions, but couldn’t attend, because he didn’t want the event to turn into a mob scene. It was still another special moment in life that his fame kept him from enjoying. He sent a telegram that GK read and made a generous contribution to the festivities. He also bought uniforms for the band, and the football team and quietly sent money to alums that were in need. In the trophy room at Graceland he proudly displayed his high school diploma and class picture. The orange and white dynamite was in his blood. He had rumored that he was going to attend the 25-year reunion, in 1978 . . . if only . . .
An insulting misconception perpetuated over the years is that Humes High School was some kind of redneck industrial academy for crew cut jarheads. (Red West likes to think of it that way.) Humes was a poor slum school, but it had an advanced curriculum in the region, with classes and programs superior to their southern neighbors. There were a lot of doctors, lawyers, politicians, and one King that were groomed in the Humes system. 1953 is historically significant, because it was the last graduating class under segreagtion in the Memphis school system. A decade or more, later troops had to be called in to integrate campuses in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
And now as I conclude my thoughts, I realize that my opening assertion was incorrect, for last night I was nearer my King than ever. ELVIS was there in more than just spirit, (and impersonator) he was there within these people. He shared their commonality; he was like them---they were like him.
From my heart I would like to thank all there who were so gracious to me and invited me inside their world with hugs and dances and smiles. I’ve become an honorary Humes High Class of ‘53 alum and have an invitation to return to the 55th in 5 years and all the ones thereafter. I’m finally a high school graduate. I can hardly wait for the 100 year reunion!
