Las Vegas saw a year of loss

Friday, Jan. 2, 2004 | 10:31 a.m.

Several prominent members of the Las Vegas Valley passed away in 2003.

The year saw the passing of community leaders such as Bob Broadbent and Si Redd as well as entertainers Blackie Hunt and Bobby Hatfield.Here's a list of noteworthy people from Las Vegas -- or people who had significant ties to Las Vegas -- who died in 2003:

Dr. Thomas Armour, 81, a prominent Las Vegas surgeon who was the son of legendary pro golfer Tommy "The Silver Scot" Armour and the father of veteran Professional Golf Association competitor Tommy Armour III. March 2 in Henderson of an undisclosed cause.

Cholly "Pops" Atkins, 89, the staff choreographer for Motown records who in the 1960s gave the Supremes, Temptations and Gladys Knight and the Pips their moves and who won the 1989 Tony Award for best choreography for the Broadway musical "Black and Blue." April 19 in Las Vegas of pancreatic cancer.

Robert N. "Bob" Broadbent, 77, Boulder City's first mayor who served on the Clark County Commission (1968-80) and as Clark County's director of aviation (1987-97) and helped make the Las Vegas Monorail a future mode of public transportation. Aug. 9 at Boulder City Hospital of cancer.

William Brown, 109, a grandson of slaves who served in World War I and in 2001 met President Bill Clinton and was decorated with the French Legion of Honor. Oct. 12 in Las Vegas of complications from old age.

Dorothy Pace Cannon, 88, widow of late former U.S. Sen. Howard Cannon and a civic leader supporting causes for children, war veterans and others. May 11 in Las Vegas following a lengthy illness.

W. L. "Bill" Creech, 76, a retired Air Force four-star general who oversaw development of the F-117 stealth fighter and earned the monicker "Father of the Thunderbirds" for rescuing the air demonstration team from a congressional chopping block after four of its pilots were killed in a Jan. 18, 1982, training exercise. Aug. 26 at his Henderson home from an undisclosed cause.

Briggs Swift Cunningham II, 96, captain of the 1958 America's Cup yacht race winner Columbia and creator of the sleek Cunningham C-4R racing sports car of the early 1950s. July 2 in Las Vegas of an undisclosed cause.

Henry "Bob" Fechter, 82, a scientist who founded the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' physics department, designed solar and wind energy systems and pioneered metal-air fuel cell technology that one day may power vehicles with aluminum instead of gasoline. Sept. 30 in Las Vegas of a stroke.

Carl Fontana, 75, a jazz trombonist who created a technique called "doodle tonguing" and performed with such artists as Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington. Oct. 9 in Las Vegas of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Ted Gilcrease, 87, lifelong farmer and longtime operator of the pick-and-pay Gilcrease Orchards, one of the last working farms in Las Vegas. Nov. 28 in Las Vegas following a lengthy illness.

Buddy Hackett, 78, a rubbery-faced standup comic and actor who was one of Las Vegas' top headliners during the 1950s and '60s. June 30 in Southern California of apparent complications from diabetes.

Bobby Hatfield, 63, as one-half of the famed blue-eyed soul duo The Righteous Brothers topped the rock 'n' roll charts and long headlined Las Vegas resorts with partner Bill Medley, a part-time Las Vegas resident. Nov. 5 in a hotel room in Kalamazoo Mich., from an undisclosed illness prior to a performance.

Charles "Blackie" Hunt, 73, early Strip performer with The Characters, a group that helped popularize the Las Vegas lounge circuit, and husband of Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, with whom he long operated the Bootlegger Bistro. Dec. 30 in Las Vegas of heart failure.

Eleanor Lamb, 86, ex-wife of late state Sen. Floyd Lamb who after their divorce carved out a career as a Hollywood screenwriter in the mid-1970s, co-writing with Douglas Day Stewart "Where the Red Fern Grows,""Seven Alone" and "Against A Crooked Sky." April 3 in Las Vegas of an undisclosed illness.

Ralph Menard, 74, an announcer with a distinctive baritone voice whose catch phrase "KVVU-TV Channel 5, Henderson, Laaaaaaaas Vegas," was familiar to anyone who turned on a television set in Southern Nevada from the mid-1970s until 2001. April 30 at a Henderson hospital from complications of diabetes.

Crysanthia "Goldie" Moran, 81, widow of ex-Sheriff John Moran, mother of prominent local attorney John Moran Jr., and sister of late Las Vegas business leader Jim Shetakis. Dec. 20 in Las Vegas following a brief illness.

Mort Olshan, 78, a lifelong sports fanatic who in 1957 began publishing "The Gold Sheet" that had considerable influence on Nevada's multimillion-dollar sports betting industry. Sept. 25 in Beverly Hills, Calif., following a lengthy illness.

William "Si" Redd, 91, founder of International Game Technology, developer of the Megabucks progressive slot machines and a major force behind the growth of video poker, who during his retirement championed the cause of treatment for gamblers who became addicted to his machines. Oct. 14 at his summer home in Solana Beach, Calif., following a lengthy illness.

Dimitrios "Jim" Shetakis, 78, whose Shetakis Wholesalers Inc., rose from a back-of-a-pickup truck food distribution operation to become the Las Vegas Valley's largest dry food supplier. Aug. 17 in Las Vegas of lung cancer.

Claude Trenier, 84, longtime leader of The Treniers rhythm and blues-influenced rock 'n' roll group, one of the first black acts to perform on the Strip when Las Vegas hotel segregation policies of the 1950s prohibited blacks as guests. Nov. 17 in Las Vegas of cancer.

George Von Tobel, 84, who served in the Nevada Assembly in the 1950s, backing laws that bolstered labor and fought crime, and in 1963 raced his Jaguar to the Pacific Coast D Class championship at Riverside International Speedway in California. Jan. 12 at his Las Vegas home following a lengthy illness.

Byron "Cowboy" Wolford, 72, a pro rodeo rider-turned-gambler whose western outfits and ability to pull off bluffs on huge pots made him one of the game's most colorful stars and second place finisher in the 1984 World Series of Poker no-limit Texas hold 'em championship. May 13 in Dallas of an undisclosed cause.

Richard Franklin "Frank" Wright, 64, a venerable Southern Nevada historian who set the record straight on many misconceptions about the glittery Las Vegas Strip including putting mobster Bugsy Siegel's exaggerated role into perspective. April 25 at his Las Vegas home of cancer.

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