
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992                   TAG: 9203030351
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: E-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: WAYNE DEEL
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

A CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE ELVIS KIND

In the 20 some years I've been a photographer at the Roanoke Times & World-News, covering everything from rock singers to porn stars, only two real celebrities stand out in my mind as folks I really enjoyed meeting. The type of people who, when they spoke to you, you could tell it was genuine, from the heart. One was Prince Phillip. The other was our beloved Elvis.

In 1972 when Elvis came through Roanoke with his tour, MGM was filming "Elvis on Tour" and the local media were given a golden opportunity to go aboard the Lisa Marie, Elvis' personal airplane, and meet The King. From the time I extended my hand and identified myself, I felt like we were on a first name basis. He said, "Welcome, Wayne. Have a seat."

From that point on, it was casual conversation, joking and having a good time. Roanoke's Mayor Roy Webber came aboard with a wreath made into a guitar that had been sent through Webber's florist by Elvis' fans. Elvis started singing and `playing' his guitar.

The whole time I was on the plane the atmosphere was warm, one that you could never forget. And as we left the plane with Elvis behind us and started down the fence row lined with all the fans, that warm feeling continued.

The only bad memory I have of the experience was when we were boarding the airplane and there was a backup on the stairway caused by the MGM film crew trying to get through the small door. Col. Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, decided to show off a little bit and treat the media as if he were herding cattle through a chute in a barnyard and I became the first victim of the end of his cane.

The highlight of this event was that I was in "Elvis on Tour" - a role I have learned to regret. Every time the movie is shown on late night TV people I work with and people on the street remind me of the length of my hair in 1972, which I admit looked pretty bad - but it was more than I have now.

by CNB