March 25
ELVIS AT PEARL HARBOR DAY
It was a unique series of events that put top Navy brass in the front row, and Elvis Presley on stage in the 4,000-seat Bloch Arena next to the entrance to Pearl Harbor, on this day in 1961.
It had been 20 years since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, sinking the USS Arizona, entombing 1,100. Although this was the U.S. Navy’s largest loss of life in a single incident, there was still no memorial recognizing its greatest tragedy. A memorial design by Alfred Preis had finally been accepted, but raising funds to build it had failed miserably. An estimated $200,000 was still needed to complete the memorial.
A last ditch effort was made by Hawaii’s journalists as they appealed to newspapers across the United States to bring attention to this sad situation. The Los Angeles Examiner heeded the plea for help by writing an editorial. By sheer coincidence, Col Tom Parker, an Army veteran who had once been stationed at Fort DeRussy in Waikiki, read the editorial. Col. Parker was also Elvis Presley’s manager -- and loved Hawaii. Parker and Elvis were already planning a trip to Hawaii to film Blue Hawaii. Parker came up with the brilliant idea to have Elvis Presley give a benefit concert in Hawaii for the USS Arizona Memorial fund. Elvis had recently been honorably discharged from the military and this was one of his few post-Army appearances. (As it turned out, it was to be Presley’s last public performance for seven years.)
At the time, Elvis Presley’s music was still considered pretty wild, so it took all of Col. Parker’s marketing prowess to convince the skeptical Pacific high command to go ahead with the concert. Parker said, “You know, Elvis is 26. This last Sunday was his birthday and that’s about the average age of those boys entombed in the Arizona. I think it’s appropriate that he should be doing this.”
Tickets for the concert sold for $5 to the general public. VIPs paid $100, with Elvis buying the first $100 ticket and the Colonel following suit. This was probably the first celebrity concert for the purpose of raising funds, and certainly the first by a rock ‘n’ roll artist. The concert raised nearly $65,000, $15,000 over its goal, but Elvis’ appearance also raised public awareness, ultimately making it possible for the Arizona Memorial to be completed. All the money raised at the concert went to the Memorial fund. Elvis did not receive any fee. Elvis received little, if any recognition either. A small plaque at the Memorial includes Elvis Presley’s name along with many other contributors. Ron Jacobs, well-known radio programmer and a friend of the late Col. Parker, said, “Col. Parker’s biggest disappointment was that Elvis never received official government credit for his contribution to Hawaii, the country and the world.”
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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