Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
On January 8, 1835, Gladys Love Presley gave birth to a set of twins. The first of the two was born at 4:00 AM and was stillborn. He was given the name Jesse Garon Presley and was buried in a cardboard box in an unmarked grave -the family was too poor to afford a coffin. The second twin arrived at 4:35 AM and was named Elvis Aron Presley.
Gladys suffered hemorrhaging after giving birth to Elvis and his twin, and she spent more than three weeks at the hospital convalescing afterward. Her colleagues at the garment center where she worked raised $30 for baby things that the family couldn't afford.
Gladys is universally described as a protective mother. Gladys would give the other kids a beating if she thought they were messing with her boy Elvis. Elvis would get a taste of this medicine himself is he ever disobeyed her and ran off to play sports -which Gladys emphatically forbade and banned.
It was always Gladys, and not father Vernon, who did the disciplining in the Presley household. She walked Elvis to school from his earliest years well into his teens. When he finally protested and the joint walks ended, Gladys would often shadow her beloved son back home at the end of the school day, making sure he returned home safely.
At school, Elvis was told not to eat with cafeteria silverware and Gladys gave him his own set of silverware to use at lunch. All through Elvis' growing up, Gladys inculcated into him how special he was. In his turn, Elvis promised his mother he would someday be a big success and buy her a big house and a mink coat.