Las Vegas Sun

November 27, 2009

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Editorial: Character and caring defined Bill Bennett

Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002 | 8:10 a.m.

After his World War II service in the Navy, Bill Bennett made a fortune in the furniture business and turned to investing. It wasn't long before he was bankrupt. But he didn't duck his debts. He eventually paid off all of his creditors. And he eventually made another fortune as chairman and co-founder of Circus Circus Enterprises in Las Vegas, a company that grew to become the state's largest employer with 18,000 people. Leaving the company in 1995, he bought the Sahara and transformed the historic hotel into a major attraction. The same character he showed in paying off his creditors was at work here for decades. Feeding the Frontier strikers during their years on the picket lines in the early 1990s was just one example of Bennett's caring. Through the Bennett Foundation and through numerous gifts to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Bill Bennett made lasting contributions to his community.

When Bennett died Sunday after a long illness, people all over the Las Vegas Valley had reason to pause and reflect on his life. Either directly or indirectly, Bill Bennett had made a positive difference in their lives.

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