By Chris Jordan
Gannett News Service

Graceland was in peril.

The year was 1979 and Vernon Presley had just died. His son, Elvis Presley, the King of rock 'n' roll, had been gone for two years.

Col. Tom Parker, Elvis' revered and reviled manager, was contractually receiving 50 percent of the income that the estate of Presley generated, but by '79, that income was a pittance because of mismanagement.

To save Graceland, the almost mythical Memphis home of the Presleys, to save Presley's estate for Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, and to save the legacy of Elvis, Col. Parker had to go.

It was up to Priscilla Presley to send him packing.

"Let's put it this way, it was very intimidating," says Priscilla Presley of removing the now deceased Colonel. "He had definite ideas of how to run the quote-unquote business and he was very fixed in his ideas of how businesses should run. He was definitely a force to contend with."

Parker was the former dogcatcher who later became a Kingmaker. However, Parker had many critics who felt that his management of Elvis' career failed to realize the full potential of his star.

The former Priscilla Beaulieu met Elvis in Germany in 1959 when she was a 14-year-old Air Force brat. Elvis was serving his country in the Army. Priscilla moved into Graceland, Elvis' home, in 1963, finished high school there, and married Elvis in 1967.

The two divorced in 1973.

When Elvis died, Vernon signed control of the estate over to Parker. Priscilla assembled of team of legal experts to win it back.

"The thing was, we were in bad shape, and we didn't have a source of income to survive," Priscilla said.

"It was in our best interest that the Colonel resign."

After that job was accomplished through legal maneuvering, Priscilla created Elvis Presley Enterprises and turned her attention to Graceland, which she opened to the public in 1982 as a museum.

"We needed to do something and do something fast," Priscilla said. "We had to do something to create an income. I traveled all over the United States visiting private homes that were open to the public to find a prototype for what Graceland would be."

Many scoffed at the notion of opening up Graceland to the public.

"A lot of people said that it wouldn't last a month or two and we'd have to close down the museum," Priscilla says. "I felt very much alone at the time. My position was, I had nothing to lose, and I had to move on."

Business has been good. Near Graceland there is now an Elvis-themed restaurant, a "Heartbreak Hotel," and even a "Chapel in the Woods," where weddings are performed. Along with income generated from Elvis merchandising, Priscilla, as executor, has built the estate from an estimated worth of $3 million in 1979 to $250 million today, according to reports.

Priscilla declined to cite the figures herself.

The popularity of the Presley name has grown out of a desire of fans to become connected in some way to Elvis. That's a desire Parker didn't recognize, Priscilla says.

"The Colonel's philosophy was to keep Elvis separated from his fans," Priscilla says. "My philosophy was to reach the most people possible. It's probably a woman's touch."

Since 1979, Priscilla has flourished. In addition to her work with the estate, she's written the best selling book, Elvis and Me, acted on TV (Dallas) and in the movies (the Naked Gun series), produced TV dramas about Elvis, developed a fragrance line that's made millions, and became a member of the Church of Scientology.

Priscilla has been with screenwriter and TV producer Marco Garibaldi since 1985. They have a 14-year old son, Navarone Garibaldi.

Two upcoming endeavors include producing a play about her life story for Broadway, and co-producing a remake of the 1968 Peter Sellers comedy The Party for MGM and DreamWorks.

It's a full life for the woman who refused to fade from the American consciousness, like so many "was married to's."

"I think that was the case because I had to preserve Elvis' legacy and have a future for my daughter," Priscilla says of Lisa Marie, whose first album is currently on the charts.