Las Vegas Sun

November 27, 2009

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Letter: Woman remembers Aladdin owner Prell

Thursday, May 14, 1998 | 11:02 a.m.

I met Prell in 1959, when he was a patient at the Queen's Hospital in Honolulu, having been admitted because of a heart attack. As a therapeutic dietitian at the hospital, I had occasion to visit him daily to help him with his food selections.

Prell was attended by Dr. White, who had also been President Eisenhower's personal physician. I was well acquainted with two of Prell's special-duty nurses and, with their approval, I baked him some cookies at home that he'd indicated he liked, because he was having a hard time adjusting to the dietary restrictions ordered by his physician.

Prell was so appreciative of these cookies, my visits and the meals we planned to his tastes, that he sent me a brown alligator purse (which I still have) with a $50 bill inside after he was discharged. I was stunned, to say the least.

I've only been a resident in this area since 1977, but I do enjoy reading about Las Vegas' history and marvel at the huge amount of changes that I've seen in the past 20-plus years -- it must be mind-boggling for those who are the true natives to the area.

Gretchen L. Wilson (Brunzell)

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