Paper Trails

Ex-teacher rocked by Elvis' grace

As celebrations for what would have been Elvis Presley's 80th birthday Thursday approach, Margaret Matson of Little Rock recalls a sweet memory involving the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

It was June 1956, and school had let out for the summer. Matson, then 23, was teaching English at Bald Knob High School.

"A student I'd had in one of my classes was president of the local Elvis Presley fan club and asked if I and another female teacher would take her and a couple of her friends to see Elvis' show that night," she says.

Arriving in Memphis early for the show, the fan club president had the address of Elvis' home at 1034 Audubon Drive, and the girls, ages 15 or 16, asked the teachers if they could drive by and see his home.

"This was before the days of Graceland," Matson explains.

"While we were there in front of the home, his father [Vernon] and mother drove up in the pink Cadillac he'd recently bought his mother, Gladys," Matson says. "We instructed the girls to ask permission before they took photographs of the home and they did, and his mother said it was fine."

The next thing Matson knew, Elvis' mother was inviting the group inside.

"Then she said, 'Ya'll come on in,' and so we did.

"We followed his mother and father down the hall and toward the back where the den was," Matson recalls. "We didn't know whether Elvis was there and if he was, the other teacher and I were worried how the girls might react if they saw him. He was quite well-liked at the time.

"The next thing we know, we turned a corner and there he was," Matson says, adding that the girls were very polite and well-mannered. "When he would speak to them, they answered in these quiet little whispers.

"He was very kind to us and seemed happy to have someone to visit with and not have any people screaming or yelling at him," the retired teacher says.

She says he asked the girls, "Would you like to listen to some records?" They'd say, "Just yours." And then he'd reply jokingly, "Well, those are the only ones I'd play."

"We stayed quite some time; we were there at least a couple of hours," Matson says. "I was most impressed with him and his kindness toward us.

"After a while, Gladys came in and told Elvis, 'I want you to eat before the police come to get you,'" the retired teacher recalls with a chuckle.

As if on cue, Matson told her crew, "Girls, we must go."

"But Elvis said, 'Don't go; I have time.' He seemed so sincere; he seemed to really be enjoying visiting with us.

"Finally we convinced the girls we needed to leave, but first each girl had her photo taken with Elvis," she says.

"I'm disappointed," Elvis then jokingly chided the two teachers. "Can't I have my picture taken with you two also?" And so he did. And they scored a hug from the King of Rock 'n' Roll before departing.

It's a photograph -- and fond memory -- Matson still holds dear today, almost 60 years later.

Talk about giving your students a gold star.

Contact Linda S. Haymes at (501) 399-3636 or lhaymes@arkansasonline.com

SundayMonday on 01/04/2015

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