Pepsi Cola - 3 Rivers Glass, Tupelo MISS

[SODAPOPBOB]

Elvis Presley as a teenager - Exact date unknown but described as being taken in Tupelo, Mississippi ...



Currently on eBay - Copy of original photo - Elvis holding Pepsi bottle with father, Vernon, seated at table - 1950s

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252408046741?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&fromMakeTrack=true

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Josh

As it turns out, not only did Elvis work for Pepsi Cola, but so did his father, Vernon, as well as his grandfather, Jesse. Please let me know if you'd like to know more about this. If not, I will leave it alone.

Thanks

Bob

 

[jblaylock]

That's awesome. I was just curious about the bottle, never would have thought the Presley family would have worked there.

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[SODAPOPBOB]

Josh

Thanks!

I'll share some more info later because I'm still trying to figure out some dates and locations, but based on what I've seen so far ...

1. Vernon Presley (Elvis's father) only worked for Pepsi Cola for about three months between February of 1943 and April of 1943. However, I'm not sure yet if he worked at the Tupelo, Mississippi plant or the Louisville, Kentucky plant, nor what his duties were.

2. Elvis worked at the Tupelo, Mississippi Pepsi Cola plant as a teenager. However, I'm not sure exactly when he worked there or for how long. Not do I know yet if his job was in any way connected with his father's employment. I say this because I'm not sure yet if Vernon worked in Mississippi or in Kentucky. But according to every reference I've seen, Elvis definitely worked at the Tupelo, Mississippi plant and not at the Louisville, Kentucky plant.

3. Jesse Presley (Elvis' grandfather) retired from the Pepsi Cola bottling plant in Louisville, Kentucky in 1964. He was a night watchmen and was 68 years old when he retired. I don't know exactly when he started working there, but I do know that he moved from Tupelo, Mississippi to Louisville, Kentucky in 1943.

(More later after I figure some things out)

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

When Elvis' father, Vernon, worked for Pepsi Cola in 1943, Elvis was only 8 years old and not what I consider a "teenager." If the "teenager" references are correct, then Elvis was an official teenager between 1948 (13 years old) and 1954 (19 years old)

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Notice in this 1997 article about Jesse Presley's house in Louisville, Kentucky where it says he used to work for the Columbia Mantel Company. I checked as many Louisville, Kentucky directories as I could find and discovered that Jesse Presley worked for the Columbia Mantel Company until at least 1958. Even though there are missing directories, the earliest start date that Jesse Presley could have worked for Pepsi Cola as a night watchman would have been in 1959 when he was 63 years old. Which means the longest he could have worked for Pepsi Cola was about 5 years.







(I'm still searching for various Tupelo, Mississippi dates and info, but if you're wondering why Elvis' grandfather was working at all when you take into account that Elvis was probably a millionaire by 1964 when his grandfather retired, I'm wondering the same thing but haven't found the answer yet)

 

[jblaylock]

Read a source that said he was a night watchman at Pepsi.

Edit: http://www.elvisinfonet.com/spotlight_JesseDPresley.html

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[SODAPOPBOB]

Read a source that said he was a night watchman at Pepsi.

Edit: http://www.elvisinfonet.com/spotlight_JesseDPresley.html

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

Josh:

Thanks for the link - its one of several I have been looking at. I'll have a few more for you later on ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

This is from the link that Josh posted and explains (in part) about Jesse Presley continuing to work even after Elvis hit the big-time ...

"From what I have been able to determine thus far, Jesse never asked Elvis or the family for anything after leaving and he spent the rest of his life making his own way in the world with Vera and for that at least his deserves some respect. "

Also notice where it says ...

"Jesse made his way to Louisville Kentucky and although a carpenter by trade he was a night watchman at the local Pepsi-Cola plant. "

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I'm also exploring the information on this link where we find comments such as ...

[Jesse] Presley was a retired employee of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co.

[Jesse] Presley had been a wooden-mantel assembler for Columbia Manufacturing Co. here [Louisville] and also had been a cabinet maker. He moved here [Louisville] from Tupelo, Miss., in 1943.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=pete_witze&id=I19575

Note: I added the [ --- ] for clarity