AutoZone Liberty Bowl names Priscilla Presley as 2018 Distinguished Citizen
Priscilla Presley, the impetus for opening Graceland to the public more than 30 years ago, is the AutoZone Liberty Bowl’s 2018 Distinguished Citizen Award recipient.
Presley will attend a June 24 presentation at the Hilton Memphis Hotel, according to Liberty Bowl officials.
“Priscilla joins a long list of great Americans who have distinguished themselves and reached the pinnacle of their chosen field,” Steve Ehrhart, AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director, said in a statement. “We are proud to include Priscilla among the luminaries who have been honored by the AutoZone Liberty Bowl during our long history.”
The award has gone to a cross-section of recipients over the years, but Presley is the first non-sports figure to receive it since Army Brigadier General Kenneth E. Tovo in 2008. Tim McCarver was last year’s recipient, and Archie Manning in 2016.
Others not in sports or sports-related fields who have been honored include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital founder Danny Thomas, FedEx founder Fred Smith, AutoZone founder Pitt Hyde and Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson. “Just like Graceland, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is one of Memphis’ great treasures,” Presley said in a statement. “It is a great honor to be recognized as their 2018 Distinguished Citizen Award recipient.”
Elvis’ Graceland mansion was dragging down his estate with taxes by the early 1980’s, leading accountants and bankers to push for selling the house. Priscilla, however, thought her late exhusband’s home could preserve his legacy if it were opened to the public.
“Every time I go in there, I feel like Elvis is going to come down the stairs any minute,” she told The Associated Press in a 2012 interview. “I have no doubt that he’s there, somewhere, his spirit. I think people feel that.”
With a $500,000 investment secured by Priscilla, the home opened to the public in 1982. It has since became a worldwide tourist draw for Elvis Presley Enterprises.
She went on to establish an acting career on television and in movies, and has produced two albums, “If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” and “The Wonder of You: Elvis with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.”
She also served as executive producer of a new HBO documentary, “Elvis Presley: The Searcher,” debuting April 17.
A live and silent auction will accompany the June 24 award presentation, with proceeds going to St. Jude. The 24th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl Golf Classic will be the following day at Ridgeway Country Club.