Friday, Nov. 22, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Frank A. Schivo, a pioneer casino owner-manager who shunned the stereotyped image of an aloof gaming boss in favor of greeting gamblers with a warm smile and friendly handshake, has died in Las Vegas. He was 72.
The gaming pioneer, who opened the Club Bingo in 1947 and stayed on as casino manager when the Sahara hotel-casino was built on that site five years later, died at his home early Thursday following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Schivo, the father of Las Vegas rock concert promoter Michael Schivo and husband of artist Carolyn Schivo, is prominently mentioned in the book "The Green Felt Jungle," regarded as one of the finest accounts of the Las Vegas gambling scene.
Services for the 50-year Las Vegas resident, who in addition to co-owning the Sahara also had interests in the California, Pioneer Club and Mint properties, will be 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Central Christian Church, 3375 S. Mojave Road.
"Being friendly was an innate part of Frank's nature -- his personality came through whether relaxing with friends or at work," said longtime Las Vegas gaming executive Alex Shoofey, now retired.
"He was a very thoughtful, congenial and considerate person who was important in the early stages of development of the town's casino industry."
Shoofey and Schivo helped open the Sahara in 1952. Shoofey, general manager of the resort, went on to work for the International Hotel (now the Hilton). Schivo, promoted to vice president in 1961, left the Sahara in 1966.
Schivo and Shoofey not only enjoyed many hours working together, but also were part of a large group of casino executives who frequented Lake Mead during their off hours, where Frank held court.
"He was quite a boatsman," Shoofey said. "People would always go to Frank for advice because he had the biggest and fastest boat on the lake."
Michael Schivo agreed that his father's warm personality was a significant factor in the early success of the Sahara and other resorts he helped operate, including the California, which Frank co-owned from 1967-75.
"My father's greatest quality was his ability to make people feel warm, comfortable and special whether it was in his home, at someone else's home, at the lake or in any of his casinos," Michael said.
Former Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a longtime friend, said Schivo "was a gentleman all the time and worked well with law enforcement. He took real good care of the people (gamblers) who went to the Sahara back in those days."
Lamb, chief of detectives in the 1940s and '50s before becoming sheriff for 17 years starting in 1961, said Schivo was taught by veteran gamers and hired the best pit bosses and dealers to work for him.
"Frank never stood over a game (a practice long used to intimidate gamblers who are winning too much) but he always knew what was going on."
Herb McDonald, director of special projects for the Showboat, was public relations director for the Club Bingo when it opened, and also remembered Schivo for his warmth.
"He was nothing like the stereotyped casino manager," McDonald said. "When others were standing around complaining that their feet hurt, Frank would walk up to guests, smile, shake their hand and say: 'Hi I'm Frank Schivo, one of the owners. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know.'
"He was just a terrific guy who helped a lot of little people."
As a civic leader, Schivo was noted for his work with the Boy Scouts, Jaycees, Boy's Town, Variety Club and Italian American Club.
Schivo also was a pilot for more than 30 years -- for a long time he flew his own Cessna twin-engine plane -- and an avid snow skier.
Born May 24, 1924, in Roundup, Mont., Schivo, the son of Italian immigrants, grew up in Montana, pumping gasoline at a Meaderville service station and graduating from Butte High School in the early 1940s.
He was an Army veteran and a copper miner before going to work in the 30 Club in Butte, which was owned by Milton Prell.
Schivo joined Prell and a group of Butte investors who came to Las Vegas in 1946 to open Club Bingo on what is now the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.
From 1962-67, Schivo was vice president of Del Webb Corp., which had bought the Sahara from Prell in 1961. There, Schivo hosted celebrities including Elvis Presley, Col. Tom Parker, Don Rickles, Louis Prima and Keeley Smith.
An avid sportsman, Schivo played on the Sahara's baseball team and enjoyed watching baseball, football and boxing. He also was a member of the Sahara Gun Club.
In 1967, Schivo and Norbet Jansen bought the then-closed California Club and renamed it "Frank Schivo's California Club." Now the Boyd Group's California hotel-casino, the property under Schivo's guidance, became a successful downtown site frequented by locals.
In addition to his wife of 19 years and son, Schivo is survived by another son, Gary Schivo of Las Vegas; a daughter, Janeen Reiser of Irvine, Calif.; four stepchildren, Jerry and Gary Arling, both of Las Vegas, Sherri Johnson of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and Larry Arling of Death Valley, Calif.; a sister, Eda Herman of Las Vegas; and five grandchildren, Kadie, Renee and Sarah Schivo and Sloan and Blake Reiser.
archive
