An Elvis fan wins ...
Sterling Gary Pepper, Jr., the former president of 'The Elvis Tankers', owned an extensive collection of Presley memorabilia given to him by 'The King' himself. Among the keepsakes Presley gave Pepper were a gold jumpsuit, a lock of hair, a 1957 Chevy, and autographed photos of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, according to a complaint filed by Pepper's heirs.
During his life, Presley paid Pepper for maintaining the fan club and also asked his friend Carl Nichols to find a nurse to look after Pepper, who suffered from cerebral palsy. Nichols approached devoted Elvis fan and nurse Nancy Pease Whitehead, who immediately took the job - although it was unpaid - and eventually moved into Pepper's home abutting Graceland's backyard.
Pepper and Nancy were both devoted Elvis fans, made daily pilgrimages to Graceland, attended Elvis concerts, and spent their free time together. But hard times fell when Presley died in 1977. Nancy testified that Memphis 'changed within a few days' and she wanted to leave the city, but did not want to leave Pepper. And Presley's estate soon stopped paying Pepper a stipend, forcing him to move into a nursing home in 1978.
When Pepper moved, he told Nancy to 'keep it', referring to his collection, and he died two years later. Nancy and her sister kept the collection for 30 years until 2009 when the Pease family put it up for auction, raising more than $250,000.
But Pepper's heirs filed suit, alleging that Nancy stole the items and removed them without Pepper's consent.
After a four-day trial, a jury ruled that Gary had given the memorabilia to Nancy as a conditional gift, made irrevocable by his death, and the Pease family was rightfully entitled to the proceeds of the auction.
Nancy testified that she never believed she owned any of the items while Pepper was alive, but believed 'I owned the responsibility for the collection after he passed away'. The 8th Circuit affirmed the jury's decision Monday.
'The evidence of Gary and Nancy's relationship supports the jury's finding of a conditional gift. Gary and Nancy shared a passion for Elvis, and Gary considered Nancy to be his nurse and his friend. The jurors heard testimony about the care Nancy had provided, read notes that Gary had written to Nancy, and saw photographs of the two spending time together', Judge Roger Wollman wrote for the three-judge panel.
Nancy also testified that Pepper told her he did not want his relatives, who were not close to him during his life and were not Elvis fans, to have the collection - and did not even tell them he owed it.
'Given this evidence, a reasonable jury could find that Gary wanted the collection to be owned and maintained by a friend who shared his love of Elvis, who had taken care of him and his mother for years, who recognized the significance of the collection, and who would keep the collection unless and until he asked her to return it', the 10-page opinion concluded.
Amongst the crowd was Gary Pepper, head of the Elvis Tankers fan club.
Elvis Presley and Gary Pepper
Gary's 'review' of Elvis Presley in Concert February 25, 1961
Gary Pepper noted that Elvis forgot some of the lyrics to 'Don't Be Cruel', but ad-libbed to great effect. The sublime 'Fever' and jubilee gospel number 'Swing Down, Sweet Chariot' were apparently only done that evening, while first show exclusives were 'Doin' The Best I Can' and 'Surrender'. 'Both reviews in The Tankcaster emphasized how the shows were marked by screaming fans, a hysteria Elvis often evoked -- and sometime consciously provoked -- on his 1956-57 tours. Elvis Summer of '69 from stories by Gary Pepper printed in Elvis Monthly 115-117
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
