Elvis was enjoying one of the most successful periods of his career. When he was chosen as one of the ten outstanding young men of 1970 by the National Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees), Elvis felt extremely honoured, and as the award ceremony that year was being held in Memphis, Elvis decided to attend in person. It was the only time he ever accepted an award in public.
The awards had been given since the 1930s and were designed to honour individuals who had made great achievements in their field of endeavour, to illustrate the spirit of free enterprise that America had to offer, and to applaud those who were humanitarians and served the community. Elvis was an obvious recipient, not only for his success in the entertainment industry, but for the largely unnoticed contributions he made to charity on a regular basis. Previous winners had included the Kennedy brothers, Howard Hughes, and Orson Welles.
Elvis attended with Priscilla.
The award ceremony consisted of a $ 2,000-a-plate dinner with an introductory speech by future President George H. W. Bush (Senior).
In accepting the award, Elvis delivers the following speech:
“When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So, every dream I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times.
These gentlemen over there, these are the type who care, are dedicated. You realise that if it’s not possible that they might be building the Kingdom of Heaven, it’s not far-fetched from reality.
I learned very early in life that: ‘Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain’t got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend, without a song’. So, I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you”.
