“Well, if I don’t get sick, I’ll be back” declared a lady going to the parking lot for some unknown reason. I overheard this as I was getting to a point in the day where I had seen any exhibits I wanted to see and I was tired of the commitment of being in the Elvis Tent building. I sat on a wall near the entry way to the visitor’s center trying to avoid direct sunlight when two older women from around Branson, Missouri sat next to me, I stood and asked them to move down where they would get more shade. I found out that Donna and Cindy had been to Graceland many times. This was Cindy’s first Elvis Week and Donna hadn’t been to a candlelight vigil since 1987 for the 10th anniversary. Donna was the more interesting character. She was an army brat that ended up in Texas. That’s where she met her husband who was also in the military. About the time he left the military, she was given an opportunity to leave her job at American Airlines and they would pay her a year’s salary. She took the payment and they moved to the Branson area. They both became long haul truckers.
Her stories got more interesting. She saw Elvis perform live 7 times. The first time was at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The next time was in Texas in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She said she took the whole family and it was expensive. She managed to sneak into every other Elvis performance she attended. They had a family friend who was a policeman that worked security at the arena where she saw Elvis. He was able to get her into the building. This man told her that many times, Elvis would dress in a cop uniform to get into the arena.
Donna and Cindy are related somehow. They have been travelling together more since Donna’s husband died. Donna also told me about her sister-in-law that was a child star in the movies. When she grew older, she ended up being a waitress and eventually became a stripper. This is where Donna’s brother met her. People would ask Donna’s brother if it bothered him that his was a stripper, but he enjoyed seeing her there and knew that no one was messing with her. Later, Donna’s sister-in-law became an LPN. After that, she started teaching special education. She still lives in Los Angeles and Donna told me about going with her to film studios when she goes to visit her. I am curious who this lady is.