Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 9, 1994 TAG: 9401090054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Fat and balding," she responded without hesitation.
But Pam Meador, a diehard fan of "The King," thinks Glennon's speculation is blasphemy.
She figures Presley would have dropped 50-plus pounds and regained the trim physique of his younger years that drove women to tears when he gyrated around the stage.
"He would have a few gray streaks in his hair, still a very handsome man," she said.
One thing is certain. If Presley were alive, he would have celebrated his 59th birthday Saturday.
Glennon and Meador were among several dozen Presley fans who paid tribute to the former rock 'n' roll star by visiting the opening day of the "Elvis" exhibit at the Roanoke Valley History Museum.
The exhibit contains 37 rare photographs taken of Presley in 1956 that are on loan from the Fay Gallery in Atlanta, as well as artifacts from Kim Epperly's collections at "Mini Graceland" in Roanoke.
There's a model of the singer's blue-and-white Convair jet named after his daughter Lisa Marie - which contained a $14,000 queen-sized bed, a conference room, four televisions and a bar.
"It was almost like an office and a house combined, just incredible," said Stu Paul, who saw the plane when he visited Graceland.
Paul thinks Elvis would still be "a little heavy," but still cranking out hits if he were around.
"He might have a few grays, but with the youthfulness of Dick Clark," he said.
Joyce Barber, 51, was visiting the exhibit partly to make up for what she believes is the biggest mistake of her life. In 1955, when the Roanoke native was 13, she passed up a chance to see the up-and-coming Presley perform at the local American Legion hall.
At the time, she thought not seeing the show was the "cool" thing to do.
"All the teen-agers back then thought he was too hillbilly," she said.
On Saturday, she swayed her hips while watching a video of Presley belting out "You ain't nothing but a hound dog." The tape contains unused footage from a 1968 television special that statistically was the most-watched show of the year by women aged 18 to 34.
In addition to his 1955 show, Presley performed at the Roanoke Civic Center in 1972, 1974 and 1976. He also passed through town briefly in 1960 on his way back to Memphis after being discharged from the Army.
The museum exhibit also contains tickets for a Presley concert scheduled for Aug. 24, 1977. They were never used because the singer died of a drug overdose Aug. 16, 1977.
First-day attendance at the exhibit was sparse, but museum director Nancy Connelly expected up to 300 people for a birthday party Saturday night in the atrium at Center in the Square. The exhibit runs through Feb. 24.
Connelly, though not a huge Elvis fan, said she, too, believes Presley would have returned to his slick-backed hairstyle, ditched the 5-inch sideburns and gone on a diet.
"He was a very handsome man," she said. "I believe we would have a lot of Elvis sightings at health clubs."
by CNB