 PERRY WHITT We are celebrating the life of Perry "Big P" Whitt, 89, of Las Vegas, who passed away Oct. 16, 2012, and who left behind a loving family, friends and a legacy too large to capture in words. Perry is survived by Mitty, his loving wife, of 65 years; his daughter, Debbie Cardwell; son, Danny; and youngest daughter, Diane Wallace. His legacy is further ensured by his six grandchildren, Perry, Jenifer, Dylan, Daniel, Emma and Brittany. We love you Big P and will miss you terribly. Perry's grand adventure began in Bellevue, Wash., and ended in Las Vegas. Along the way, Perry experienced a life that few could imagine and none could duplicate. Perry was one of the "Greatest Generation" and during his time, he helped strengthen a nation, built a city and create and nurture family and friends. As a child of the Great Depression, Perry spent his youth scrounging for sustenance and eventually took to "riding the rails" in the western states to seek any means of employment and money to fill an empty stomach. In 1940, at age 17, he lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Perry did this, not out of some heartfelt duty to country but rather, as he claimed, for the "three square meals a day." His early days in the Corps were filled with humorous misadventures but eventually turned serious with the onset of World War II. Perry was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations and saw action at Guadalcanal and Bougainville, where he received the wound that would end his military career. Perry never spoke of the battles, terror and horrors in which he partook but it left him with an indelible hatred of war. Upon his honorable discharge, Perry made his way to Las Vegas in 1945, where he found dusty streets, a few casinos and little else. Having honed his gambling skills in the Corps, Perry took to Vegas like a fish to water. Finding a job at the old El Rancho Casino, Perry discovered two things that would change his life forever. The first was a talent with cards, dice and numbers. The second was a beautiful brunette, a member of a dance troupe out of Chicago, named Arminta Gustason. Within three months of meeting, Perry and Mitty were married in Chicago, and remained so for the remainder of his life. After more humorous misadventures in Cincinnati and Omaha, Perry and Mitty resettled in Las Vegas in 1947, where he started a job with the newly opened Flamingo Casino. Later, Perry worked at both the Mint and Union Plaza, where he met Sam Boyd and forged a friendship and partnership that would change the gaming landscape of Las Vegas with the opening of the California Hotel in 1975 and later Sam's Town in 1979. It was Sam's Town that ushered in the advent of "locals" joints so prevalent in Las Vegas today. From there, Perry helped turn Boyd Gaming into one of the largest and most successful gaming companies in the world today. Perry was Boyd Gaming's vice chairman of the board of directors for many years and also sat on other influential boards, including serving as president and director of the Utility Shareholders Association of Nevada and director of the United Way of Southern Nevada. Perry was also director of First Security Bank and Community Bank and later co-founded Bank West of Nevada, known today as Bank of Nevada. Perry's life was remarkable and it saw the advent of the automobile, manned flight, the radio, television, space exploration, computers, cell phones, the internet and countless other inventions and advancements. He saw the population of Las Vegas grow from 15,000 to the over one million that it has today. He left his mark and touched the lives of all he met. We are sad, of course, but more importantly we want to celebrate a unique and wonderful man. Rest in peace Big P. Perry lived an incredibly private life and, as such, did not want a funeral or service. In lieu of flowers, Perry would rather have you donate a small sum to an organization that advocates for the care and treatment of disadvantaged children. In this way you could honor Perry's memory.
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