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MLDIOKIJ .MAIL HtUSLNi;. MKDI OKD, OREGON'
loipi
oy
Laraest Force i
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By KISSELL NIKLSEN
I nlted I'ross International
RENO, New (UPI) William
F Ilarrah, the acknowledRcd
king of the casinos, lives in a
world of superlatives.
He demands the finest, the
biccest, the fastest, the most. If
j it isn't the best, he doesn't want
it.
1 This tall, slender, taciturn
man applies this expensive phi
losophy to his business, and it
i has lifted him from a small
time bingo and card game oper
ator to czar of chance in Ne
vada's wide - open gambling
industry. Ask him if he hauls
$10 million a year to the bank
from his glittering pleasure pal
aces at Heno and Lake Tahoe
and he'll reply, "Could be." He
employs the largest work force
in the state and spends millions
for the world's largest restored
automobile collection, his racing
cars and boats, and lavish en
tertainment and promot i o n
policies. o
Ilarrah. 5. once studied me
chanical engineering at the Uni
versity of California at Los An-
geles. He quit and went to work
for his father who was oper
ating a "circle game," a game
of chance similar to blackjack,
at Venice, Calif.
"The place wasn't doing too
well," he recalls. "Dad wanted!
to close it. but I talked him into
selling it to me." !
Made ilub I'ay
He soon had the club in the t
black, but it was closed period-'
ically by the authorities since:
circle games were only "semi
legal." He migrated to Reno
where the law gave stability to
gaming.
In i:i:)7 he opened a bingo
game and within a few years
became one of the top opera-1
tors on "Casino Row." But is!
was in 1!I55, when he set up j
shop at Lake Tahoe, that busi-!
ness really boomed. I
Lake Tahoe had been a resort!
area since the days of the Corn
stock lode at Virginia city, but
most business operated only
during the summer. Harrah no
ted the seasonal onerations did
well and seized the opportunity I
to buy one which nestled against
the California border, only a j
short drive from the heavily
populated San Francisco Bay j
area. He applied Reno - style
operating methods to his new
enterprise which in 1958 ex
panded into a new complex he
proudly calls the finest and
most luxurious casino in the
world.
"We had no idea of getting as
big as we are," Harrah says, i
"We get lucky once in a while."
There was business acumen, '
too. Harrah's snowplows clear
ed the roads winding through
the High Sierra. He chartered
fleets of buses to bring custo-!
mers, virtually free, from coast
al areas. His huge theater-restaurant
featured top names in
show business, and his casino I
lounge staged round - the - clock
entertainment. !
Plans Hotel
Ilarrah recently announced
plans to build a 23-story hotel I
adjacent to his present plant.
Others are expanding or build
ing new operations, and the
once sleepy soutn snore is De
coming one of the country's
most popular pleasure spots.
Harrah's love of mechanics
has been turned into a promo
tional tool. "I was always inter
ested in anything that moved,
and if it moved fast, so much
the better," he jays.
He hurls his sleek Ferrari at
breath - taking speeds over the
mountain highway be t we en
Reno and Lake Tahoe. He en
ters a Ferrari in various racing
events and his driver was un
defeated last season. He spon
sors the $25,000 Tahoe Unlimited
Hydroplane Regetta and his en
try. Tahoe Miss, which was
built in his own shops, is a
strong contender for national
honors. He also sponsors a high
ly rated amateur golf tourna
ment. Harrah's pride and joy, how
ever is his $4 million collection
of early American and foreign
cars. It contains some 800 rare
or unusucal automobiles, many
of which have been restored ex
actly to their original lustre and
beauty in his shops. He is an ex
pert in this field and can cite
specifications of every car in
his collection. His decision to
buy a certain car is based on
what it represents to him, clas
I sic styling features, or some
j unique engineering feat. j
Collection Popular j
I The auto collection is so popu
j lar with visitors he intends to
move it to a better location
i here and make it the center of
a "big Disneyland-type com
1 plex."
! Harrah has spent a fortune on
i r?search to determine how to
1 attract customers and make
them return. They are treated
to neat attention - getting gim
micks such as colorfully uni
, formed, white - gloved janitors
t sweeping up litter or wiping
smudges from gleaming slot
machines. In Reno, a plush car
peted pathway spans an allev
between his two casinos. Air
curtains replace conventional
doors, and passers by can hear
hear the click of silver dollars,
the clatter of slot machines and
the dice dealers crying "It's a
winner."
"People genet ally are good
and they gamble for the fun of
it," he said. "I would say 99.9
per cent of them don't figure to
win, but they want a good time
and hope they'll get lucky and
pav for their trip.
"It isn't fun to lose too much,
though, and everyone should ad
just himself to his own level of
what he can afford to spend."
Harrah is a conserv'a live,
compared with some "high roll
er" gambling operators who
wager many thousands of dol
lars with each other.
"Once or twice a year I'll visit
a casino and risk $500 or $1,000
before the show and niavbe
that much afterward."
Ilarrah is "absolutely cer
tain" his operation is the be;t
in Nevada, but doubts it will
ever be just what he wants.
"I'm very happy with my
self, but I am disappointed be
cause I never seem to have
things exactly the way I like,"
he says. "L'll think of some
thing that should be done, and
it is. But then something else
comes along. There's always
something else I want to do and
I never seem to catch up."
"But is I did, I would be dis-
appointed, too. There would be
nothing to look forward to."
Open Sundays
10:00 A.M. - 5:20 P.M.
MONDAY & FRIDAY
9:30 A.M. to 8:50 P.M.
TUES., WED., THURS
SAT., 9:30 to 5:20
3-DAY SALE
I 635 E. Jackson I 1 I 8
Bring the whole family . . .
54 big departments to shop
in leisure. Enjoy lunch at
our own . . .
ROGUE
SIDEWALK
CAFE
Outdoor atmosphere with in
door comfort.
SHOW IIAI.TKI) During the past six weeks black bears have crowds near State College, Pa., had to be halted because Cashcr
visited the home of Forest Ranger Karl Cashrr, who puts feed feared .someone would break through the clothesline barrier
out for them. Because of a drought bears have had slim pickings and be injured by the animals. lUI'Il
in their natural The animal show which nightly drew
WI'F.K KND AT DAVID
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Pres
ident Kennedy intends to spend
the week end at Camp David,
Md. The White House said Wed
nesday the Chief Executive ex
pected to fly to the secluded
camp in the Catoctin mountains
Saturday afternoon and return
to Washington Monday morning.
CONFIRMS NOMINATION
WASHINGTON (UPH - The
nomination of W. True Davis
Jr., of St. Joseph, Mo., to be
the new U.S. ambassador to
Switzerland was confirmed by
the Senate Wednesday.
Gas Pipeline Hear Completion in Area
Construction of the natural
gas pipeline connecting Grants
Pass, Medford and Ashland by
California-Pacific Utilities com
pany has been practically com
pleted, according to V. V. Ly
man, division manager.
"While wating for F.l Paso
Natural Gas company to com
plete the natural gas main
transmission line from Eugene
to Hosehurg and Grants Pass,
our contractors are proceeding
with Ihe job of cleaning up the
: rights-of-way as soon as possi- j
blc," Lyman said.
"Barring adverse weather i
i conditions, it is expected that1
El Paso Natural Gas company
will complete its part of the i
' project in time to bring natural j
I gas into Roseburg during the j
'middle of October and into the
! Rogue valley the first week in j
j December," the manager point-'
' ed out.
1 "The number of large indiis
i trial firms in the southern Ore
gon area thai have marie ar
rangements to convert to nat
ural gas just as soon as it is
available far exceeds our origi
nal estimates," Lyman said.
"The savings to be enjoyed
by the firms using natural gas
will place them in a much more
competitive position to secure
additional hifsincss from more
distant customers and Ihe end
result should be a bolster to Ihe.
economy of Ihe whole area tn
general." he said
For 1964... Comet
announces a car that's
every bit as hot
as it looks...
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Just
Arrived
Get Yours
Today
$1 57
GALLON
LIMIT 6 TO A CUSTOMER
48
,48
,48
48
48
fH
Magnetic
Can Opener
3-Position swing ad
justment steel cutting
blade. Easy cleaning.
WITH
COUPON
PRINCESS
HI-LO
VANITY STOOL
Gleaming Brass Finish
Scroll Design . . .
Lavender, Gold,
Black, Red
Adjusts 17" to 23"
1 fiJISi
$
15.95
NEW LOOK
MODERN HASSOCK
Extra seat or hassock, big 18"
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in choice of 8 colors.
Big Buy in a Big
Recliner Chair
Covered in Tough
100 Supported Plastic
With a Leather Grain Look
Foot rest emerges as the back
drops. 29x34x39" high.
$6.98
L2 PRICE SALE
VANITY TABLE
WITH MIRROR
Brass-plated w i I h mar
proof wood top white,
pink. Adjustable mirror. . .
32'5x51".
Set
of 4
New DuPont Teflon
FIREKING OVENWARE
$l.o9 to $1.99
REG. $14.98 STf 49
NOW I
This ft th boginning of a now kind of Comal.
Hot, huiky, hondom tcp sorio in Comof'
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Cyclone 289 cu. in. V-8 in all Comet.
"Caliente" means hot . . .
in Spanish. And tM rrw Co-"' r'-''t'. ,;" I.t'o ni". 't
Inots Ho'. And tl i(! 1 Our ('?''" i1 ' - r f- - -.
the punch, Tbp topprr n C',r V-c
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Now Comet offers 3 series . . .
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404 lees. Tfn rroi's , . . n:i b -j on r:-, -V s
tronsmission cC cc, r-c, " t n "V"'. "-r, rw
Multi - Drive lc''C C - WT'C i 'vmovt.- i of cf cp.
Elegance at a
compact price
ppw !ran"v"--
A T
MEDFORD MOTORS, INC
225 SuK Rivewdt,
o
' a
..... Iviiril'l j jr
REG. $10.98 ST49
NOW
!5'
METAL TRAY TABLES
King size trays O" folding
brass finished legs with plas
tic, no-mar tips.
$5.98
Power steering
AM l( r,T - . . . (.
HALF SIZE DRESSES
FASHION DRESSES
BETTER BUY
SEVERAL!
PRINTS
SOLIDS
PLAIDS
STRIPES
CHECKS
LADIES'
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From
S099
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for more fashion
Wool knit capns and sweaters.
Superb wool knit with a look of
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gans or slipons, Jacquard knit in
- smart all-over patterns Solid
-J borders. S'eck wool knit tapered
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j, siaes. epris in cnrcoa, me
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Sweaters in grey, charcoal, or
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Sizes 10-16
SI 195
to
S1295
Each
635 EAS1
JACKSON
MEDFORD SHOPPING CENTER
ACRES
OF
FREE PARKING
.. .. : L
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