Conventional wisdom in the world of Elvis-is-Alive theorizing tells us that Elvis spelled his middle name "Aron" throughout his life, and that Vernon Presley just pulled the double-A spelling ("Aaron") out of thin air when Elvis died and he used that spelling on the grave marker. So, all these years, the suspicion by those who are suspicious of such things is that the double-A spelling is a sign that Elvis is not buried there, or that Elvis didn't die...since Elvis supposedly never used the double-A spelling.
Right?
Recently, I came across two legal documents, one from July 19, 1973, and the other from August 12, 1977...and both feature the double-A spelling of Elvis's middle name. Elvis did not sign either document, and Vernon signed only the 1977 document. However, Vernon signed a document that included the double-A spelling, and this is important. As Elvis's attorney-in-fact, Vernon signed for Elvis on many legal documents, and in signing this document Vernon validated the spelling of the name as "Aaron." That is, by signing the document with the double-A spelling, he had to have known that the spelling was valid, and the only way he could have known the spelling was valid is if Elvis had told him that "Aaron" could be used in place of "Aron." This lends support to Marty Lacker's claim that Elvis instructed his father to use the "Aaron" spelling starting sometime around 1966. Obviously, by signing his name to this document, Vernon was not concerned by the double-A spelling.
NOTE: Elvis granted his father Power of Attorney ("attorney-in-fact") on February 6, 1968, and then confirmed the continuation of this designation on February 23, 1977.
And, assuming these documents, and other legal documents from that time period, were later reviewed by Elvis's attorneys, we can safely assume that no one else objected to the use of the name "Aaron," either.
So, Vernon did NOT misspell the name as the "alivers" have alleged for so many years, and because the double-A spelling was used in an official capacity (i.e., legal documents) prior to August 16, 1977, the name was not just pulled out of a hat when Vernon was ordering the grave marker. We have the double-A spelling used on a document signed by Vernon just 4 days prior to Elvis's death, so Vernon had recognized the name "Aaron" before Elvis died.
And, lest we forget, the name "Aaron" also appears on a legal document as early as July 19, 1973, and certainly this document was read and reviewed for accuracy by Elvis's attorneys.
Vernon Presley's use of "Aaron" on the grave marker, then, is perfectly justified and is supported by at least two previous examples of the use of the double-A spelling.
