Columnist Jeff German: Wilhelm fund-raiser for medical center a West Coast record-setter

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 11:09 a.m.

ODDS ARE the National Jewish Medical and Research Center will remember its decision to honor international Culinary Union leader John Wilhelm this weekend for a long time.

Saturday's humanitarian award dinner at the Mirage hotel-casino raised the largest amount ever -- a whopping $370,000 -- for the world-renowned Denver hospital on the West Coast. Previous benefits here have taken in $70,000 to $80,000.

There was time when few would have predicted such a successful evening for National Jewish, which specializes in treating patients with respiratory and immune system problems.

Back in December, Las Vegas Sands Inc. Chairman, long a National Jewish supporter, tried to scuttle the dinner, claiming Wilhelm, the No. 2 man in the international, and the local Culinary Union were anti-Semitic.

Sheldon Adelson, locked in a dispute with the Culinary over his $2 billion Venetian megaresort project, blamed the union for a reported hate crime against him at his Las Vegas Country Club home. The union strongly denied any involvement and voiced resentment at being branded anti-Semitic.

In his zeal to put the kabosh on the Wilhelm dinner, Adelson reportedly went as far as offering the hospital $70,000 to call it off. The hospital politely declined the offer.

Then, the Las Vegas community and the hospital's high-powered trustees here quietly went to work behind the scenes.

Their efforts attracted about 800 people to Saturday's dinner, including an impressive array of elected officials, casino moguls and labor leaders.

Among those on hand were Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, both D-Nev., Mirage Resorts Inc. Chairman Steve Wynn, Hilton Gaming President Arthur Goldberg, MGM Grand Inc. Chairman Terry Lanni and Wilhelm's boss, international Culinary Union President Ed Hanley.

Other elected leaders in attendance included Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Sheriff Jerry Keller.

Even President Clinton sent a letter congratulating Wilhelm, the Culinary's lead contract negotiator with the casino industry, for his humanitarian work.

The evening was hosted by Regent Shelley Berkley, a congressional candidate who once worked for Adelson, and businessman Kenny Guinn, the leading GOP gubernatorial contender.

If the dinner demonstrated one thing it's that Wilhelm, a Yale graduate with two children who grew up with asthma, has many friends in Las Vegas -- many more apparently than Adelson.

It also demonstrated how Las Vegas can come together for a good cause.

As the evening progressed, some of those called to the stage took subtle shots at Adelson.

"There's at least one person in our community who's dining alone tonight," Bryan said.

Hanley reminded the audience that the Culinary Union has contributed nearly $1 million to National Jewish over the years.

"That's not too bad for an organization that has been accused of being anti-Semitic," he said.

Hanley also predicted the labor movement would be seeing a lot more of Wilhelm in the future, an acknowledgement of Wilhelm's rising status within the American labor movement.

Dr. Elias Ghanem, who has longstanding ties to Wilhelm and the Culinary Union, drew a standing ovation when he announced on stage that he was donating $25,000 to the hospital.

Ghanem and his wife Jody had just returned from an overnight stay at the White House as guests of President Clinton. The couple had flown to Washington from Las Vegas on Air Force One last Wednesday.

At the end of the night, Guinn pointed out that the dinner had "raised the standard" for future hospital benefits.

"I wouldn't want to be the person honored next year," he said.