thanks, Chantil and Kristen

I've never met the two young ladies pictured here

but doggone if they don't make me happy! Today is a day when I take an annual pause to look back and think about all that Elvis did for us while he was alive, before he "died" in 1977 on this date (as IF!)

Without Elvis, there would have been no Beatles, no Stones, no who knows who-all. Had Elvis not come along, youth culture as we have enjoyed it since 1955 would probably have remained as it was from 1776 to 1955 - subsumed by mothers and fathers, Janie and Junior being tiny little replicas of Mom and Dad.

Once the King assumed the throne, things got better, musically speaking. But when he passed away ( and I believe his spirit lives on like Santa) his influence waned.

Therefore, it was such a treat to see these two young ladies, Chantil and Kristen, from Hurricane Middle School in Hurricane, WV. Their recent social studies fair project on Elvis received first place in their school, then first place in the regional contest, and finally, first place in the West Virginia State Competition. Chantil and Kristen, who were already big Elvis fans, are celebrating with their first trip to Graceland this week, just in time for Elvis Week at his palatial mansion.

Here's to the fine people from Hurricane Middle School in Hurricane WV, educators who realize that there is more that a child needs to learn than the date when the Magna Carta was signed and how many litres there are in a quart. (The answer to both, as any school kid knows, is 1215.) Teaching kids about Elvis teaches them about a boy from humble roots who never forgot to say "ma'am" and "sir", and peeled off millions of dollars for charity over the years, a boy who overcame those humble roots and came to sit atop the entertainment world, a man who left too soon but left an untoppable legacy.

"Elvis is everywhere, Elvis is everything!

Elvis is everybody, Elvis is still the King."

- Nixon (Mojo, not Richard M.)