He is 40 years old and his fans still call him baby. They also call him the epitome of sex, a legend in his own time, part of the American heritage, the king of rock and roll

Elvis Presley, his dark hair cascading over his ears and onto his white suit, majestically vaulted onto a platform in the center of Pontiac Stadium and sang in the new year before 60,000 of those fans. elvis said it was the largest gathering he had ever entertained

He sang many of the old ones and fiddled with the new ones, too. He crooned "Love Me Tender" tossing purple scarves to the crowd.

HE WAS DOING what Auror Callen said "just turns me on."

Mrs. Callen is 36, happily married and the mother of seven. She rode a bus to Pontiac Stadium from Kent City, near Grand Rapids, with a group of people to see Elvis.

she can remember being 16 and being turned on to Elvis. she says she remembers seeing him on the Ed Sullivan TV show and talked about how "they wouldn't show him below the waist."

she said if she ever had the chance to meet him, "I would act dignified, but I couldn't pull it off."

Mrs. Callen tried to explain that certain something that Elvis has. "The body movement. Women love it. He's you know what he is ? I'll tell you what he is. He's the essence of sex. that's what he is."

THERE ARE THOUSANDS of women Mrs. Callen's age who agree with her, some of them even so the point of trying to do something about it.

Near the entrance to the backstage area, a big, burly and bearded fellow named Mark stood guard. He wouldn't give his last name, but he said that women - older women, he stressed - had been bothering him all night. They wanted Elvis.

"She was drinking VO. About 35-40. Said she had to see Elvis

"Then this one dumb lady just wanted him to walk over her overcoat," Mark said.

He guessed that about two dozen women tried to get past him to see Elvis. "They won't take no for an answer. They've loved Elvis since they were 18 and they're really belligerent."

SECURITY WAS particularly tight at the event after Pontiac police took into custody a 19 years old Pontiac man who had threatened to kill Presley.

Police picked up the man at his home. They said the man who was identified had been under survelliance for three weeks after he told friends he was going to kill Presley. He was detained by police until after the concert.

Mostly, however, the attitude toward Presley was adulation.

Younger fans, old enough to be Elvis' sons and daughters, mingled with the longtime followers.

"I think he's just a part of the heritage of the country" said Barbara Kliczeck, 20, from Pontiac, who likened Elvis in Frank Sinatra.

She was upset with only one thing. Like others who set on the folding chairs on the floor of the stadium, Miss Kliczeck complained about the bad echo coming from the stage

But nothing seemed to matter once Elvis was on stage. Sue Valentage, 26, from Roseville said that's because Elvis is on entertainer who never goes out of style.

Courtesy of Ron Theisen