On Thursday, April 4, the J. Houston Gordon Museum in Paul Meek Library held the opening of an exhibit of old Elvis Presley photographs entitled “Elvis: Grace and Grit.”
Sam Richardson, the head of special collections and archives for Paul Meek Library, searches for different exhibits to bring here to UTM. He came across ArtVisions Exhibitions, LLC and found where they had a collection of candid and on-air photographs of Elvis produced by CBS. Richardson requested to rent the exhibition, and six months later, UTM is inviting all to come and view the collection.
The exhibition consists of 27 black and white photographs of Elvis in the late 1950s. He was photographed on the Ed Sullivan Show, which became even more popular once the “King of Rock and Roll” made several appearances.
The Elvis exhibition should intrigue students because of the history that hits close to Martin, Tenn. Gordon Stoker was a native from Gleason, Tenn. and a member of the Jordanaires, who sang backup for Elvis. Other group members included Neal Matthews, Hoyt Hawkins and Hugh Jarrett. Stoker just recently passed away on March 27, 2013. He was 88 years old.
Local news station Channel 7 came to interview and do a piece on the Elvis exhibition. Laura Bannon interviewed Richardson and senior Public Relations major Natalie Medling, asking them why students should come and check out “Elvis: Grace and Grit.”
“Elvis came from the small town of Tupelo, Miss. He showed us that anyone can make it from a small community, which relates to students here at UTM. Plus, Elvis Presley is cool,” said Richardson.
“Students will enjoy looking at these old black and whites of Elvis in his prime. It’s exciting to have these types of exhibits right here on campus,” Medling said.
“Elvis: Grace and Grit” will be on display now until May 31. The exhibit is open to all students and to the public. It will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
