Elvis Presley was nominated, and won, the coveted award from the Jaycees and here are the details courtesy of usjayceefoundation.org;
The inaugural class of TOYM recipients in 1938, announced in January 1939 by Future Magazine, still ranks as one of the most famous. Included were: George Gallop, pollster; Elmer Layden, football coach; Howard Hughes, business and aviation; Douglas Corrigan, aviation; and Rudy Valee and Orson Wells, entertainers. A 1939 TOYM group was never selected but in 1940 and every year until 1973 a TOYM group was selected for a year and recognized the next year. There were no winners for 1972. In 1973, the TOYM event was revised to honor the designates for the current, rather than the previous year. Because of this change, there were no winners for 1972. Since 1973, the tradition of recognizing outstanding young people for the year in which awarded has continued.
Currently, candidates must be United States citizens, age 18 through 40, who exemplify the best attributes of the nation’s young people, the Jaycee Creed and dedication to a better nation. Thousands of nomination forms have been distributed each year before judging panels reduce the field to 20 candidates and then select the final 10. Currently the awards program is conducted each year in March at the United States Jaycees National Meeting.
To understand the magnitude of the award in the eyes of those who have received it consider this story: Elvis Presley TOYM 1970
Accepting the Jaycee Honor “Terrified Presley” read the headline in the Memphis Press-Scimitar. The “King” was shakin’ backstage, but no tin the manner that most people would have thought, as excerpts from the newspaper story show:
“Elvis Presley stood in the wings at the Auditorium in memphis on January 18, 1971, and admitted he was ‘terrified.'”
“He was perspiring profusely and his head was hanging low as he awaited his turn on stage as one of the United States jaycees 10 Outstanding Young Men of America for 1970.”
“‘I’m scared to death.’ he told Frank C. Taylor, chairman of the Outstanding Young Men (sic), who reminded the superstar that he had appeared hundreds of times before much larger crowds. ‘Yeah but not like this,’ Elvis replied.
“‘It was a different plateau for him,’ Taylor said. ‘For the first time, he was being paced on the level with achievers in realms other than entertainment, and for the first time Elvis felt he was being accepted like a true professional. He like the association of being given such an honor along with those nine other guys, and he was impressed by their tremendous abilities. And none of the others singled Elvis out for adulation more than any other, and he liked that too.”
When Elvis’ turn came, he took his place at the podium and looked back at the other winners seated on stage. With a sweeping gesture, he said: ‘These men may be the Kingdom of God.'”
“The famous voice cracked, he could not go on.”Elvis at podium
“‘He was the only one to have genuine tears in his eyes and to break up,’ Taylor said.
“Elvis stopped, stepped back for a second, regrouped himself and spoke again.”
“‘Without a song, the day would never end, without a song, a man ain’t got a friend,’ the famous singer said, quoting a classic song.”
“Then he ended with difficulty, saying humbly: ‘So I’ll just keep on singing my song.'”
Elvis always consider the Jaycee Awards as his most valued achievement. The honor was so important to Elvis, he was there to receive it in person labored weeks over his now famous speech. The Jaycee Award was one of the few trophies that Elvis received during his lifetime that held a special place. It represented Elvis initiation into the mainstream, acceptance by his peers for his contributions as a humanitarian and entertainer. His Ten Outstanding Young Men trophy, as well as the tuxedo he wore to the ceremony that night, have been kept on display at his Memphis home, Graceland and is seen by thousands of visitors every day.
Courtesy of YouTube comes part of the video pertaining to Elvis receiving this award that Elvis not only was humbled by but actually opted to appear in person, with Priscilla and members of his family and Memphis Mafia, to accept the award and give one of his most iconic and heartfelt speeches.
Posted by Jeff Schrembs on June 23, 2017
https://theelvisexpert.com/2017/06/23/elvis-presleys-jaycees-award-speech-1971-rare-footage-wow/
2017 All Rights Reserved authored by Jeffery Schremfs with permission
Over the years I have been asked (literally) thousands of questions about Elvis Presley by quality websites such as; by participants of Quora, Wiki, and others. When I am able I answer them and provide facts that are not commonly known. When I get positive comments, upvotes, responses, emails, etc. I am appreciative as I have never monetized my collection, knowledge, etc. of Elvis Presley. I am a routine fan who has studied Elvis, onstage and off, for (approximately) six decades now.
This is in addition to this blog, http://www.ElvisCollector.info (no ads, no solicitations, no pop-ups, just 100% interesting/rare/unique/cool, http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org (100% free Elvis Presley fan forum), and many other blog/sites I interact with.
I take great pride in these works and they have, individually and collectively, been positive distractions from my battles with cancer, PIDD, and I’ve been recently diagnosed with kidney failure aka acute renal insufficiency. Additionally I have hospitalization(s) scheduled for, including but not limited to, mapping of my, swollen – painful – and asymmetrical, lymph nodes and surrounding tissue.
I am very blessed to have good doctors, hospitals, friends, relatives, and other support systems. I have my own beliefs, and faith, in God which has sustained me and man are/were there times when the weight of all these medical/mental/emotional/etc, issues decimated my every breath.
I am also thankful to you. Those who want to know more about Elvis Presley. Those who are just curious, Those who came across this blog by happenstance. Thankful to all of the search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.
You see Elvis’ life, beginning with the death of his identical twin brother who was born first but was “stillborn” (i.e. born dead) and his beloved mother (Gladys) and Father (Vernon) tasked with coming up with a name for their newborn son as they never expected twins, is unique and interesting to say the least. Elvis life was, at various stages, complicated yet simple. If you want to see dirt poor people in the South without means in the 1930s Elvis meets that criteria. If you want to see someone with riches, fancy cars, custom jewerly, his own fleet of cars and a few airplanes to boot Elvis is your man. I can, and will in the future, go on and on.
As a boy (in the 1960’s – man its been a….W H I L E) I started collecting Elvis memorabilia and everyone from my best friends, relatives, minister, neighbors, teachers, etc. knew
I not only collected Elvis related things but was also knowledgeable about the life of Elvis onstage and off. I never believed Elvis was perfect nor did I believe anything other than Elvis was multi talented, worked hard, provided jobs/income for his friends/family, was loyal, and had a world famous temper. I never put him on a pedestal and I had an emphasis on the truth (i.e. from direct sources I had the honor of knowing/speaking with/etc) and context. My Grandfather, who has long passed and I miss very much, gave me many fundamentals/life lessons to adhere to. An example is he used to tell me “the only thing worse than a lie is a half truth”. I was young then but a few years later I learned firsthand just how wise he was and how this saying was spot on. You see when someone lies there are countless ways to cross reference it. But, when someone tells a “half truth” it carries more weight, and thus is harder to disprove because part of it is true and can be corroborated.
Back to Elvis.
Elvis, in context, was a good man who loved the Lord/Jesus/God and not only sang about it but did not back off when asked about his faith. He helped so many in need. He gave of his time. His heart. His talents. His works. His money. He cared and people were drawn to him.
Publicly Elvis did not judge others nor did he disparage other celebrities. An interesting response he gave, to a question (I am summarizing here and from two interviews around the time of his 1972 Madison Square Garden concert in New York, of “do you think other entertainers should speak their minds then “do you belief other entertainers should avoid military service”? Elvis’ response was all Elvis. He said “I’m just an entertainer and I’d rather keep my own views to myself so I’d rather not say”.
It has been a long time since Elvis walked this earth. It was a joy to watch him share his talents. Everything from his hair, to his style, to his clothes, to his laugh, to his biting humor, to his wit, to his photographic memory, to his upbringing of politeness using verbiage such as “yes mam, no mam, yes sir, no sir” etc.
He owned a luxury home in Hollywood but he called Memphis (Tennessee) his home with his house named “Graceland’. At the time he purchased this home, in the 1950’s it was off the beaten path. It was a southern style mansion with acreage to ride horses. To have pets. To have privacy from the world and always being thankful to the fans who lined up outside the stone wall, and the infamous gates, of Graceland.
He was a “one of a kind” man who left us three decades of excellent works (i.e. movies, songs, albums, videos, dvds, writings, interesting stories, served honorably in the United States Army, and received many achievements throughout his life.
… to be continued
Posted by Jeff Schrembs on June 15, 2017
https://theelvisexpert.com/2017/06/15/no-doubt-elvis-presley-part-1-of-3/
* Original story by Jeff Schrembs 2017 All Rights Reserved & published with the expressed written permission of Mr. Jeffery Schrembs
April 25, 2017 is the 105th birthday of Gladys Love (Smith) Presley who most know as the beloved mother of Elvis Presley. Hence Gladys was born on April 25, 1912 and (sadly) died on August 14, 1958 at the age (that everyone believed was right/truthful/correct/etc.) of 42 years old. However, she died at the age of 46 years old on August 14, 1958.
Depending on the source(s) the reason Gladys changed her age was; in order to marry Vernon Presley and becoming a closer age of Vernon, to seemingly appear to be younger to her friends/fellow church members/etc., because she was illiterate (i.e. could not read, could not write, could not drive a car, never had a drivers license, etc.), and/or to maximize benefits to what extent has been lost to history. *** Note – I recommend, and encourage, everyone to seek out – purchase – read – tell others about – etc. the exceptional books about Elvis/Gladys/Vernon/Memphis Mafia/etc. by Alanna Nash which shed some light on these subject matters. Here is the link via Amazon Author Alanna Nash’s books on Amazon
I have, over a time span of approximately six years, viewed/read/listened to/ etc. just about everything related to Gladys, Vernon, and Elvis. Looking at her pictures as a young woman you see a dark haired, dark eyed, vert attractive young woman, favorable complexion, youth radiating from her skin, with a desirable figure ( no disrespect intended just stating a fact) and a smile that invites you into her…soul. Very beautiful, individually and collectively, photographs which clearly show the similarities to Elvis.
Other photographs, taken after Elvis received his Official United States Military Draft notice which was served on the 3rd week in December of 1957 their first Christmas at Graceland, show every emotion in her face (swollen with reddish imprints that allowed her tears and lack of sleep to be channeled away from her eyes) .
The days leading up to Elvis’ being physically drafted into the US Military, and initially reporting to basic training in Texas for the US Army but ultimately being ordered to be assigned to Germany, tore into Gladys with great pains. Great tournament. Great uncertainty. Great worry. And even triggering the horrendous events of January 8, 1935 when her firstborn son Jessie Garon Presley was born “stillborn” meaning he was born dead. Also, triggering her inconsolable heartbreak over losing another child a few years after Elvis was born (Note – Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 and was the second child delivered with Jessie Garon Presley being stillborn). Then came the life changing news, from her doctor, that she would never again be able to carry a child to term which meant never being able to have another child. This is but one of the reasons from the special relationship between Gladys and Elvis which included her unrelenting love/devotion to Elvis and vice versa.
There is so much to write about concerning Gladys so THANK YOU for visiting and please let others know about this site, http://www.ElvisCollector.info our primary and award winning Elvis Presley website, http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums,org the premier Elvis Presley forum, and join (for free) the Official Elvis Presley fan club designated by Graceland (a fact we truly appreciate),
To be continued…
Take care and may God bless you
Jeff Schrembs
http://www.ElvisCollector.info (100% free)
http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org (100% free)
Elvis Collector Worldwide the Official Elvis Presley Fan Club (100% free)
And our various WordPress, Blogger, Google +, websites/posts. And we say a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone @ http://www.WordPress for having a great website and for allowing people, like me, to have an avenue to share my collection, thoughts, experience, and facts about my own personal life and other blogs about Elvis Presley onstage and off. GREAT JOB everyone @ http://www.WordPress.com.
Posted by Jeff Schrembs on April 26, 2017
https://theelvisexpert.com/2017/04/26/happy-105th-birthday-to-gladys-presley/
I don’t know why but as the years pass by I find myself often reflecting and, in between having a permanent broken heart and missing/loving/wanting the best for/etc my children, yearning for days gone by when Elvis was filling stadiums and his songs fluttered on the airways.
Now it is January 8, 2017 and the 82nd anniversary of the day he was born. Man, in a few years it will be MORE YEARS PAST THAN ELVIS PRESLEY EVER LIVED. The math on this is that Elvis was 42 years old when he died. As of today it has been 39 years since he (sadly) passed away (August 16, 1977). So, in the next few years it will 43 years since Elvis died versus the 42 years he lived. What a loss. What a…loss.
Graceland, and Priscilla and Lisa Marie, will (in all probability) have a week of acknowledgement filled with events as fans gather from around the world. His beloved home, Graceland, will be open and there will be candle light vigils in remembrance. The tree, whose branch expectantly broke while the members of the “Memphis mafia” were in a car during his funeral/mourning, will still be there as is the wall that fans have been writing on since the 1950’s.
I have Elvis’ music, and other eclectic singers, in every “listening device” including the albums and 45’s (which I have two record players but I don’t want to damage the records which was not the case when I was a child/young man/younger/etc. as I played the grooves off each Elvis record I could get my hands on. Man, what a…loss.
As 2017 rolled around I was heavy hearted thinking about all of the people who (sadly) passed away that were; related to, loved by, trusted by, worked with, etc. Elvis. The same is true with others in the entertainment industry whose passing were worldwide news. But, Elvis had an uncanny ability to surround himself, individually and collectively, with people of quality. Of great intellect and personality. Of being grounded and unique. With sadness, yet respect, I have put their names in memorandum on http://www.ElvisCollector.info. I hope to add much more content to these special people.
While I created http://www.ElvisCollector.info with hesitation and with nothing other than a positive distraction for me far removed from my cancer treatment(s) and my divorce but most of all from the nightmare that is custody/visitation issues. My heart goes out to the children of divorce as well as their parents and loved ones. Back to http://www.ElvisCollector.info.
I have been amazed at how many people visit http://www.ElvisCollector.info each day. Each month. Each year. At one point I put “digital pins” on a “digital map of the world” on my laptop(s). The pins were red and the map was white outlined in black. Before the month was out the red pins were in (literally) every corner of the world. To make things even more joyous the site was ranked, in about 70 different categories, number 1 in many search engines.
I added site content and decided to put “never seen before” photographs along with cool and unique; videos, audio files, photographs, documents, handwriting, personal possessions, etc. pertaining to Elvis. But, I had a few “non-negotiable s” such as; I would not allow anything about Lisa Marie (out of respect as she has her own forums to do so if she wants), I would not allow anything about anyone Elvis dated other than Priscilla (this was a hard decision for me as so many of those Elvis dated are INCREDIBLE people including Linda Thompson, Sandie Kaye Stevens, Kathy Westmoreland, etc.) for the same reason pertaining to Lisa Marie, I would not allow anything to be sold/offered for sale, I would not allow any ads, I would not allow any pop-ups, I would put things on the site that were interesting to me, I would write original stories/articles about Elvis onstage and off, I would put an emphasis on the visual (photographs, videos, etc.), I would put Elvis’ life onstage and off told by FACTS and in context, and I would keep the format simple yet compelling.
I also wanted fans to know about other sites, and person(s) (including but not limited to Russ Howe, Paul Litcher, Phil Arnold, Sandie Kaye Stevens, Sandi Pichon, Marty Lacker, Alanna Nash, etc.), about Elvis. Now, I have very high standards, as has been the case since the late 60’s, but these sites/people are truly deserving to be recognized. I hope people check out every site/person listed as they are worth the “click” and the “time”.
Well, I’m off to knock out a few chores/errands but here are a few cool things that I hope your enjoy.
Please visit, and share via social media and verbally, http://www.ElvisCollector.info and http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org (please BOOKMARK as the name is sooooo long and typing it over and over will give you carpal tunnel) the Elvis Presley forum that is 100% free to join. Please note that the forum is still in the “beta testing” realm and hopefully 2017 will be the year it is up to par with my expectations.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Take care and may God bless you and yours always.
Jeff Schrembs
Posted by Jeff Schrembs on January 8, 2017
https://theelvisexpert.com/2017/01/08/january-8-2017-elvis-presleys-82nd-birthday/
From our website http://www.ElvisCollector.info here are some rare, unique, and cool photographs.
Please feel free to share via social media and thank you for viewing this blog.
Take care and may God bless you.
Posted by Jeff Schrembs on April 10, 2015
https://theelvisexpert.com/2015/04/10/rare-photographs-in-regards-to-elvis-presley-via-www-elviscollector-info/
The Elvis Expert 