Elvis: Golden Moments Recalled

Hundreds of Elvis Presley fans from around the world visited their dead idol’s mansion in Memphis, leaving bouquets shaped like teddy bears and guitars at his grave site to mark the 50th birthday of the king of rock ‘n’ roll. About 1,500 people visited Graceland, Presley’s white-columned mansion, and those delivering flowers were granted special entrance to the “meditation gardens,” where the singer’s mother and father are buried. “I care about Elvis,” said Phyllis Ingling, a retired waitress from Hyattsville, Md., who said she came to Memphis with 44 other people by bus from Washington, D.C. “Elvis was different. He sang gospels in Las Vegas.” We love him and we love his mother and father.” Presley, who was born in Tupelo, Miss., on Jan. 8, 1935, died of heart disease in Memphis more than seven years ago. Among the fan club members was Fred Whobrey, 44, of Mount Zion, Ill., who belongs to a dozen Elvis fan clubs. “When I was growing up, I spent a lot of hours listening to Elvis music,” he said. “If there was a bad time I was going through with my girlfriend or folks or a basketball game or whatever, I could get my head together with Elvis.”

--Former President Richard M. Nixon is in “excruciating pain” with a case of shingles that has plagued him for the last month, the New York Daily News reported. A friend of the former President told the News that Nixon’s physician, Dr. Harvey Klein, called it “the worst case of shingles he has ever seen. It has affected the President’s upper back and his shoulders and he is experiencing excruciating pain.” The disease is caused by the chicken pox virus and affects the nerve endings, often resulting in blisters and sores. Nixon, who turns 72 today, finished work on his latest book--”No More Vietnams”--despite coming down with the ailment in December, the report said. Nixon has not been hospitalized with the condition but has remained in his Saddle River, N.J., home.

--Yul Brynner began his final run in “The King and I” on Broadway, giving his 4,434th performance as King Mongkut. After the show, Brynner, who has been performing the role for 33 years, said: “When I first played the part I was too young. I originally painted age lines on the king’s face. Time has taken care of that.” Brynner received congratulatory letters from New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, New York Mayor Edward I. Koch and President Reagan. The President’s letter, read after the curtain calls, said: “Your longtime success in ‘The King and I’ is no puzzlement to your audience.”