Columnist John Katsilometes: A fabulous sign designer being celebrated downtown LV

By John Katsilometes (contact)

Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 | 7:33 a.m.

The image graces T-shirts, coffee mugs and even license plates. Freshly married couples have posed under it. TV series and seemingly every event broadcast from Las Vegas use it in opening "scene" shots.

"It's the little sign that could." Betty Willis said Thursday night.

Willis created the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign" that greets (and says goodbye) to Vegas visitors on the south end of the Strip. She was on hand at S2 Art Center on East Charleston Boulevard in the Downtown Arts District for the "50 Years of Fabulous Neon" Las Vegas Centennial celebration.

On display in the S2 gallery were dozens of photographic art prints by William R. Hannapple, who also designed the sign for the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The event honored several Las Vegas sign designers; present were Brian Leming (designer of the Hacienda horse and rider), Marge Williams (Riviera), Raul Rodriguez (Flamingo) and Jack Dubois (Stardust). But there was no question who was the star of the show.

With the help of a walker and flanked by a pair of showgirls, Willis made her way into the art gallery amid scurrying photographers and guests eager to shake her hand. As Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said, "I'd take one Betty over 100 showgirls any day."

Willis designed the sign, which was bolted in place in 1959, while working for Western Neon Co. "I had no idea, no idea, it would be this big," she said. "I have had people from all over the world -- Australia, England, Russia, Argentina, you name it -- ask me about the sign."

Willis, who is "82 and still kickin' " recalled visiting California as a child with her father, Steve Whitehead, who moved to Las Vegas in 1905 and was the city's first tax assessor.

"I saw all this flashy neon and said, 'Dad, why can't we have all this flashy neon, too?" she recalled.

Several decades later, thanks in large part to her, we do.

Notes R Us

Vegas snares Tommy: A little more than three years ago Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee told the Sun, "I think the people who know me really well would tell you that, 'Tommy is a really nice guy.' " Saturday night Lee spreads the good will at Tao, the fabulous new ultraclub at the Venetian, when he celebrates his 43rd birthday (which was Monday) ...

Cake in the Rain: The Maloofs are also socializing this weekend. Gavin Maloof is celebrating his birthday on Saturday (No. 49, in his case); his fete is set for Rain Nightclub at his brother George's hotel, the Palms. The rock band Hoobastank is scheduled to perform. You might recall, or not, that Hoobastank was nominated along with the Killers for this year's Best Rock Album Grammy Award, prompting Killers' guitarist Dave Keuning to say, "I'll sleep at night as long as we don't lose to Hoobastank." As it turned out Green Day won that category in a walk for "American Idiot" ...

A mine is a terrible thing to waste: Why is Nevada the Silver State when it is the world's third-largest gold-producing region (after South Africa and Australia)? You might want to know that, or the kids might, and a mining/minerals theme will be featured throughout Second Saturday this weekend. We also learn that Nevada's average mining salary in 2004 was $67,650 (cough!). Second Saturday festivities are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; call 229-5431 or go to www.culturalcorridorvegas.org for information ...

Pubs pub: There is no excuse for not knowing what's happening on the Las Vegas cultural scene if you have the following publications: The First Friday Newsletter and Nevada Public Radio's Southern Nevada Cultural Guide. The Newsletter is published weekly. The Cultural Guide, a 68-page magazine, is published each September. The publications are edited by Phil Hagen and Amy Schmidt, owners of the local writing and editing company Vegas Ink. To get the Newsletter, published quarterly, you need to become a Friend of First Friday (membership is $10) -- go to www.firstfriday-lasvegas.org to find out how to do that. For a list of places to find the Cultural Guide, go to www.classical897.org. Those are keystrokes well spent.