The passing of kings
I was just thinking about everything in the news this week, commemorating the passing away of “The King” Elvis Presley, back in August of 1977….thirty years ago. I heard the news when I was attending a small dinner in my honor, at my boss’ home in Vandenberg AFB. Yes, I was leaving the Air Force and we were getting ready to come back to Hawaii. Everyone at the dinner table was in shock, as we were all children of the Rock and Roll era. As a little kid in elementary school, one of the first taunts I can recall was some innovative girl yelling at me, “Wesley-Pesley, Elvis Presley.” Elvis’ career ran the gamut from young, shocking-pelvis Elvis…to gold record Elvis…to G.I. in Germany Elvis…to Has-Been Elvis (thanks to the British Invasion)…to B-Movie Elvis…to Re-Invented in Vegas Elvis. The last incarnation of Elvis is how we most like to remember him; huge side-burns, cool sunglasses, white gem-studded jump suit with the collars up, white boots, stretching into his long, stylized zenkutsu-dachi and kokutsu-dachi and vibrating “karate hands”, sweating profusely and tossing out scarves to his admiring fans. He was a kenpo practitioner who received his black belt from the late [...]