The Colonel

by Alanna Nash

  pagelink “How and where do you begin”: John O’Reilly at Colonel Tom Parker’s Memorial Service, Las Vegas, January 25, 1997

  pagelink “a very emotional man”: John O’Reilly at Colonel Tom Parker’s Memorial Service, Las Vegas, January 25, 1997

  pagelink “to work with him”: Henri Lewin at Colonel Tom Parker’s Memorial Service, Las Vegas, January 25, 1997.

  pagelink “Elvis and the Colonel made history together”: Priscilla Presley at Colonel Tom Parker’s Memorial Service, Las Vegas, January 25, 1997.

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  THE English writer Richard Holmes described the crafting of biography as “a haunting, an act of deliberate psychological trespass, a continuous living dialogue between subject and author as they move over the same historical ground.”

  That analogy seemed apt as I readied this manuscript, since I haunted the streets of Tom Parker’s past, and he haunted my daylight and my dreams. Many times, we seemed to do battle as I struggled to decode the cryptic actions of his life. For a man who lived eighty-seven years, he left remarkably few words on the major events of his nine decades, neither writing a tome of his own, nor cooperating with journalists, as if daring a biographer to create an accurate account from stony silence.

  Judith Thurman, reflecting on the French writer Colette, the subject of her own biographical work, has said that during this mysterious process of committing a life to the page she felt at some level Colette �
��was waiting for the recognizer—someone who would see through her poses and her masks and her reticence and describe her to herself.” But Colette would not collaborate with her: “She wanted to control the narrative.”

  At the most difficult juncture of researching this biography, Parker seemed to do the same—to taunt me, to invite me to explain him, if not to himself, to others. But then just as quickly, he, like Colette, attempted to exercise control, erecting one hurdle after another.

  If I succeeded in capturing him, in pinning him to the ground like Lemuel Gulliver in the land of Lilliputians, it was only with a great deal of help, beginning with Michael Korda and Chuck Adams at Simon & Schuster, who understood the project in a way that almost no one else did.

  Beyond those who helped with the mechanics of turning a manuscript into a book are the people who offered the information that made the story live and breathe, all of whom knew a different Tom Parker. Without them, he would never have arrived between these covers with his complexity intact. I owe tremendous gratitude to the following:

  In Holland, many people worked diligently to help me shed some light in dark corners, beginning with Parker’s family—his sister, Marie Gort–van Kuijk; his niece, Maria (Mieke) Dons-Maas; and her husband, Ted Dons. They opened their homes and their hearts to me. I will always cherish them for that singular experience, and for their friendship. Parker’s refusal to acknowledge these very loving people in his latter years was to deny himself an extraordinary gift.

  I am also exceedingly grateful to Angelo Somers and Hanneke Neutkens, who champion Parker’s legacy in his native country, and to - Parker’s nephew Ad van Kuijk Jr., for sharing precious family documents.

  A number of Dutch lawyers provided essential information, including Erik M. J. Thomas of Schoenmakers & Thomas, Breda, Holland, and Pauline Reitsma, who midwifed the legal process of examining old police reports. Additionally, several archivists worked cheerfully to marshal dates of births, deaths, and marriages, including Mevr. M.-L. van den Wijngaard, City Archives Section Head, and C. J. J. Biemans-Voesenek, City Archives, Breda, Holland. A profound thanks goes to Amnon and Lynn Shiboleth and Lilyan Wilder for serving as vital contacts to key figures of this group.

  Although he left his native Holland long ago, Lee Wulffraat set me straight on so many aspects of Dutch life, educated me about the kinds of boats that likely transported the future Colonel Parker to America, and offered countless translations of important articles, documents, and letters. He was a constant friend, always willing to try to do the impossible. His brother, Tony Wulffraat, still residing in the Netherlands, was as giving and helpful, spending his Christmas holidays taking photographs that helped me understand one part of the story so well. Lee’s daughter, Karen, proved the important link in our fortuitous meeting, and in fact, the book seemed to become a Wulffraat family project, as Elsa and Wim van Pelt, Lee’s sister and brother-in-law, and Ine Wulffraat, Tony’s wife, also helped decipher antiquated texts and speed the translations.

  No amount of thanks can convey my deep appreciation to the Dutch journalist Constant Meijers, who shared both his keen insights into - Parker’s personality and his transcripts of interviews from his documentary film Looking for Colonel Parker. In the darkest days of this project, his shared belief kept me going.

  I’m grateful also to the Holland Society of New York; Professor David van Kuijk; Tanja Eikenboom Warren, for translations of crucial Dutch periodicals; Adriaan Sturm and Willem Kaauw, for magazine articles and photographs concerning Parker’s origins in the Netherlands; and to E. A. van den Enden–v. Meer, Harry van den Enden, and Ad van den Enden, for clues into the fundamental mystery at the heart of this saga. Additionally, Frans de Leeuw at Breda’s St. Joseph School cleared up some confusion about Parker’s early education.

  There are others without whom this book would not have moved beyond the routine assimilation of dates and facts. Dirk Vellenga and Mick Farren, whose seminal Elvis and the Colonel laid the foundation for this work, spoke with candor about the still-elusive nature of the subject. In pointing me in some new directions, they provided a blueprint for my research. This book would clearly not exist without theirs.

  Peter Whitmer, Ph.D., and the author of The Inner Elvis, supplied a plethora of original source material, invaluable psychological profiling of the Colonel, and a much appreciated analysis of Parker’s letter to his Dutch nephew. He also propped me up when the going got rough.

  Dick Bielen of the U.S. Locator Service worked tirelessly to find - Parker’s long-lost army records, which add immeasurably to the understanding of the Colonel’s early years in America. Unquestionably, these records stand as the most exciting and illuminating evidence of Parker’s psychological make-up.

  Finally, Bolling Smith, the editor of The Coast Defense Journal, read the military chapter and straightened out some crooked facts, and Michael Streissguth, Eddy Arnold’s biographer, helped me corral the facts of the Arnold years. He also shared his interview transcripts, made introductions, and offered support for an often sagging morale.

  While everyone interviewed for the book contributed in ways he or she can’t imagine, several sources were indispensable and gave generously of their time and treasures, from photographs to historical records. I will never be able to express my gratitude to Byron Raphael, Gabe Tucker, Sandra Polk Ross, Bob McCluskey, and Larry Geller. All were of such glorious help that I don’t know if I could have done the book without them. Chick Crumpacker also deserves extra mention, not only for his written responses to questions and his phone interview, but for his dogged research on my behalf in the RCA archives.

  The following are some of the many people who helped in significant ways: Cindy Adams; Gaylen Adams; Steve Allen; Kathy Allmand; Chet Atkins; Marjorie (Mrs. Ollie) Atkins; Kevin Atkinson; M. R. Avery, D.V.M.; Duke Bardwell; Georganne La Piere Bartylak; Armand and Marde Baum; Linda Bayens; John Berry; Frances Bevis; Sharon Bevis; Freddy Bienstock; Steve Binder; Barbara Boger; Frank Bogert; Jenny Bohler; Charlie and Mary Lou Boyd; Don Bradley; Harold Bradley; Terry Bream; David Briggs; J. W. Brown; James L. Brown; Tony Brown; Don Burch; Bob Burris; Sam Bushman; Albert Buys; Noble Case; June Carter Cash; Harriet Chalfant; Dick Clark; President William Jefferson Clinton and Daniel W. Burkhardt, Special Assistant to the President; Barry Coburn; Steven Cohen; Dick Contino; Al Cooley; Janet Costner; Dr. Susan Cottler; Lance Cowan; John Craig; Mike Crowley; Marc Cummings; Susan Darnell; Larry Davis; Oscar Davis Jr.; Cartha “Deke” De-Loach; Bill Denny; Alice Virginia Dodd; Ann Dodelin; John Dotson; Jackie Dowlen; Louise Draper; Tommy Durden; Al Dvorin; John Eastman; Alan Eichler; Allison Elbl; Joycelyn Engle; William Ervin; Sam Esgro; Donna Fargo; Art Fein; Lamar Fike; Bob Finkel; Larry Fitzgerald; Tom Flagg, University of Nevada at Las Vegas; Ed Fleck; Kira Florita, Sandy Neese and Kevin Lane, Mercury Nashville; D. J. Fontana; Trude Forsher; Richard H. Frank Sr.; Tillman Franks; Anne Fulchino; Joe Galante; Jan Gay and Judy Burkley; Robert Gregory Gibson; Holly Gleason; Paul Golden; Charlie Gouvenia; Scott Gray; Charles Grean; Tony Greaves; Tom T. Hall; Maxine Hansen, Executive Assistant to Gene Autry; Buddy Harman; Summer Harman; Andrew Hearn; William Helfand; Sharon Henry; Leonard Hirshan; Randy Holmes; Sue Horn; Terry Houck; Richard Hull; Nick Hunter; Janis Ian and Patricia Snyder; Tormod Lunde Idsø; Mel Ilberman; Clancy Imislund, Director of the Midnight Mission, Los Angeles, California; Joyce Jackson; Ron Jacobs; Jackie Jett; Van Joyce; Norman Kaye; Frances Keanan; Lydia (Mrs. Pee Wee) King; Buddy Killen; Bill Kimbro; Otto Kitsinger; Dorothy Koenig; Bob Kotlowitz; Betsy Kronish; Marty Lacker; Charlie Lamb; Dick Lane; Jane Lane; Bob Leoni of the Songwriters Hall of Fame; Pam Lewis; Horace Logan; Charlie Louvin; Sandy Lovejoy; A. C. Lyles; Peter Maas; William C. MacGregor; Diana Magrann; Benny Martin; Kathy Mattea; Mary Matthews; Helen McCloud; Brad McCuen; Joyce McMakin; Hal and Vi Moldenhaur; Chips Moman; Bob Moody; Bob and Kittra Moore; Scotty Moore; Erin Morris; Joe Moscheo; Bitsy Mott.

  Also Nick Naff; Tracey Nathan; Ken Nelson; Tracy Nelson; George M. Newill; Hugh O’Brian; Brent Olson;
Frank Page; Patti Page; Richard Palmer; Ben Payne; Federico Pollicina, M.D.; C. J. Pressma; Mark Pucci; Norman Racusin; Bill Rains; Michael Ravnitzky; Jere Real; Raymond Richardson; Don Rickles; Libby Riggins; Steve Rinaldi Sr.; Jordan Ritchie; Dennis Roberts; Dale Robertson; Cathy Hetzer Rogers; Dusty Rogers; Monsignor George W. Rohling; Robert Kenneth Ross; David Rothel; Ronna Rubin; Leon Russell; Tommy Sands; Karen Schoemer; Walter Seltzer; Joe Shane; Andrew Shankman, M.D., Marva (Mrs. Lloyd) Shearer; Jim Sherraden of Hatch Show Print; Joan Shoofey; Evelyn Shriver; Clare Simpson; David Skepner; Todd Slaughter; Steve Small; Mary Smiley, the pride of Toledo, Ohio; David C. Smith of the Southern California Miniature Horse Club; Jon Guyot Smith; Rosalie F. Sochinski, Executive Director, Variety Clubs International; Stan Soocher; Kathie Spehar; Gordon Stoker; Lisa Stout of the Nashville Metro Medical Examiner’s Office; Tony Stuchbury; Joe Sullivan; John Szabanowicz; Preston Temple; E. Parry Thomas; Dr. and Mrs. John B. Thompson; Mel Tillis; Pam Tillis; Anna Trainor; Justin Tubb; Tanya Tucker; Dana Tumpowsky; Jenifer van Deinse; Wes Vause; Ken Vrana; James Wade Jr.; Peter Wallace; Michael Wallis; Diane Warren; Dr. David Weide, University of Nevada at Las Vegas; Cheryl Weinstein; Allan Weiss; Kay West; Christie Mullins Westmoreland; Kathy Westmoreland; Kay Wheeler; Roy Wiggins; Paul Wilborn; Dorothy Wilder; David Wilds; Don Wilson; Amy Wimberly; Elaine Tubb Wingerter; Charles Winn of Spring Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum; Mac Wiseman; Irv Woolsey; Marvin Worth; Jules Wortman; Don Wrege; Mark Wright; Mary Yandell; James Harvey Young.

  Thanks also to John Agan, LouCeil Austin, Debbie Germany, Jackie Lawton, Tommy Overstreet, and Angela Snyder for help with the Gene Austin period.

  The following also provided essential information:

  For help with the presidential connections, Lynda Johnson Robb; George Reedy; Bill Moyers; Mike Parrish and Claudia Anderson, Archivists, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, Austin, Texas; Lisa Vitt, Archivist, Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California; Mary Finch, Warren Finch, and Sam McClure at the George Bush Library, College Station, Texas; Kathleen A. Struss and Bonnie Mulanax at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kansas; Raymond Teichman, Supervisory Archivist, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York; Dennis E. Bilger, Archivist, Harry S Truman Library, Independence, Missouri; Albert Nason, Archivist, Jimmy Carter Library, Atlanta, Georgia; Geir Gundersen, Archivist, Gerald R. Ford Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan; the archivists of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library, Boston, Massachusetts; and Pat Anderson of the Nixon Presidential Materials staff of the National Archives.