Offered is an incredible 1953 photo of the First Assembly of God Young Men's Sunday School class featuring an 18-year-old Elvis Presley. Very few photos of Elvis from before his career exist. The photo emanates from the estate of Elvis' high school sweetheart, Dixie Locke Emmons. The Presley's began attending the church during Elvis' senior year at Humes High School, and it was during that time that he and Dixie first met. In her book Unlocked: Memoirs of Elvis's First Girlfriend, Dixie recounts her first seeing Elvis after his family starting attending the church:
I was a typical teenager, almost sixteen years old. I will never forget the day I first laid eyes on this uniquely handsome young man. I was attracted to Elvis at once, and I could tell by the many times I saw him looking at me, that he was interested too! We attended our classes and smiled at each other but never really spoke. Several weeks went by. It had become obvious that he was quite shy and I would have to make the first move in order to meet him, although girls were not supposed to be that assertive or act too interested in boys.
Close inspection of the photo indicates that it was taken sometime in the early fall of 1953 during the church's annual drive to win a magazine-sponsored "Sunday School Attendance" contest, which began on Sunday, October 11, 1953. Several of the boys are wearing ribbons that read "I'm Helping to Win Grand Prize", likley a reference to the annual contest in which Assembly of God had placed 3rd the previous year. A signed copy of the Dixie's book is included with the photo-a tiny copy of the photo appears in the book. The photo measures 10 x 6 1/2 inches and presents with only a few distresses to the corners and small creases. The back is covered with the remnants of mock up glue from newsroom use, most likely. Excellent condition.