Courtesy photo
Fred Lewis-Nebot
Thursday, June 16, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.
Fred Lewis-Nebot
Longtime former Las Vegas television and radio newsman Fred Lewis-Nebot, who also had a successful public relations career, died Tuesday at age 79.
Lewis quickly became familiar to Southern Nevadans after moving to Las Vegas in 1970, when he joined Donrey TV Channel 3. Along with the late Red McIlvaine, Lewis co-hosted “Fred and Red,” a noontime news and variety show.
He also served as the station’s news director and anchor of its 6 p.m. news broadcasts.
He moved to KLAS-TV Channel 8 in 1972, serving as managing editor and news director and making occasional on-air appearances.
In 1976, Lewis accepted another high-profile position as public relations director for Summa Corp., which controlled all of billionaire Howard Hughes’ Las Vegas resorts and real estate holdings, including Summerlin.
Lewis eventually was named a senior vice president of the company, reporting to the late Robert Maheu, who was the reclusive Hughes’ top aide.
Lewis set out on his own in 1985, creating the Fred Lewis Inc. public relations firm. By 1991, he left his company but continued in public relations with clients that included Clark County and the Greenspun Group, operated by the family that publishes the Las Vegas Sun.
He also returned to broadcasting in 1995, this time in radio. He served as news director for K-news AM 970 and as morning talk show host for KVBC FM 105.1.
After a brief stint as a principal of Ballard Communications, Lewis became public relations director for the remodeled Aladdin resort, a position he held from 1999 through 2003.
For much of the past two decades, Lewis taught public relations writing at UNLV. He was also a past president of the United Way of Southern Nevada and Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, a former board member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Travel and Tourism Caucus. Lewis was an honorary member of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
Born Aug. 11, 1931, in Youngstown, Ohio, Lewis earned bachelor’s and masters degrees in English composition and speech from Kent State University in Ohio and did post-graduate work at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
He enlisted in the Army, serving in an intelligence unit in Germany, but he also spent parts of his service in England, France, Ireland and Sweden.
After his military service, he held various public relations posts, including three years traveling as American Airlines’ liaison to foreign carriers. That experience included flights with The Beatles when England’s Fab Four made their first concert appearances in the United States.
In 1966, Lewis became field producer for CBS-TV in New York City, working alongside famed anchor Walter Cronkite during the network’s space coverage. Lewis then became a director and producer for a television station in San Francisco before moving to Las Vegas.
Lewis, who is survived by sons Paul and Patrick Lewis of Las Vegas, shared their passion for football. He spent three years as the announcer for football games at Bishop Gorman High School, where his sons played ball.
Lewis and his sons also spent their Saturdays glued to the TV set whenever the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were playing.
“Notre Dame is a Catholic school and my father was Catholic, and the team represented the same working-class values that they have in Youngstown,” Paul Lewis said.
A memorial service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the lower chapel of St. Viator Catholic Church, 4150 S. Eastern Ave. His final resting place will be at the University of Notre Dame.
