A Colonel is a non-military honorary title awarded by some U.S. Southern states. It bears no relationship with the military rank Colonel.
The Colonel is also often a shorthand reference to Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, who was an honorary Kentucky colonel. The title is an honorary title offered to celebrities by the Governor of Kentucky.
Another famous "Colonel" was "Colonel Tom Parker", the manager of Elvis Presley whose title was granted by by Jimmy Davis, the governor of Louisiana.
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