Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
"Hey, Bananas, how's it going?" gamblers would shout to Aaron Herman as he strolled through the old Dunes casino.
Herman would give away yellow pens inscribed with his nickname to those he would greet as casino host and longtime shift boss at the Strip resort that was imploded on Oct. 27, 1993, to make room for the under-construction Bellagio hotel-casino.
Around his right wrist he wore a gold bracelet inscribed with the word "Bananas" -- a gift from Herman's admiring employees in May 1979, when he was promoted to casino host after serving as a shift boss for 16 years.
"Bananas was a kind man, concerned about his dealers -- asking about their families and problems," said Mike Newman, a friend. "He was an old-style pit boss with the personal touch, probably going back to his Detroit days of running a gambling house and bookmaking."
Aaron M. "Bananas" Herman, who as a boy munched on bananas while selling the Detroit Free Press on street corners and as a 14-year-old ran a craps game at the newspaper -- the foundation for his long Las Vegas gaming career -- died March 15 in Las Vegas. He was 89.
Services for the 42-year Las Vegas resident were March 18 at Bunker Mortuary. Burial was in Eden Vale Memorial Park.
In addition to his long stay at the Dunes, Herman worked as a blackjack and roulette supervisor for the old Royal Nevada in 1955 and blackjack supervisor for the old Mint in 1957.
A year later, Herman invested $35,000 for a small interest in the Sahara hotel-casino, where he worked as a shift boss until going to the Dunes in 1963.
Born June 14, 1907, in New York City, Herman, the son of a plasterer, moved with his family to Detroit at age 7. He often skipped school to sell newspapers to help his family through tough economic times.
At age 19, Herman went to Hollywood to work as a movie extra, but returned to Detroit where he got a job at the Detroit Daily Mirror, in charge of street sales, with 40 newsboys working for him.
After the Daily Mirror closed in 1931, Herman opened a gambling hall in Detroit and also ran a bookmaking operation for many years.
In 1955, a friend in Las Vegas brought him to town for the job at the Royal Nevada, which was located next to the Stardust before the two buildings were merged into one resort.
Herman had a friendly nature for which he became widely known.
"I love to be around people," Herman told the SUN in a story published Sept. 27, 1981. "Be congenial to people regardless of whether they are a $5 or $1,000 player. They all love to be recognized."
Herman left Las Vegas in 1956 for a brief stint as a bet-taker at Hialeah Park horse race track in Florida, but returned to town for the job at the Mint, which today is part of Binion's Horseshoe.
Herman was brought to the Dunes by longtime gamer Charlie "Kewpie" Rich, who was featured in the book "The Greenfelt Jungle." There, Herman became a fixture for three decades. Most folks knew him only by his colorful nickname.
Although he supervised games, Herman was not a gambler.
"I knew the only way I could succeed was behind the table instead of in front of the table," he once told the SUN. "If you are in the business, why go to the outside and get the worst of it?"
Herman also enjoyed swimming and traveling.
He is survived by a daughter, Andrea Lopez, and her husband, Michael Lopez, of Las Vegas; and two grandchildren, Michael Lopez II and Chase Lopez.
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