sgolds,
You are trying to cite the use of the subjunctive. You must differentiate between the present subjunctive and the past subjunctive:
The past subjunctive is sometimes called the were subjunctive, since were is the only subjunctive form that is distinct from the indicative past tense. It appears chiefly in if clauses and in a few other constructions expressing hypothetical conditions:
If he were sorry, he’d have apologized by now.
I wish she weren’t going away.
She’s already acting as if she were going to be promoted.
Suppose she were to resign, what would you do then?
In the case of my statement, "If I was Elmer", I am using the present subjunctive, thus the usage of the "was" is indeed correct.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
