Wednesday, May 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
James Herbert "Herb" Nall, who as a longtime employee of late billionaire Howard Hughes bought land on the Las Vegas Strip and thousands of acres in a remote desert area now known as Summerlin, has died in Tucson, Ariz. He was 87.
Nall, a 46-year Las Vegas resident, died Sunday while visiting a daughter. He had suffered from a lengthy illness, said his wife, Lillian Nall, a longtime Las Vegas art dealer and pioneer of the local cultural scene.
Today's services will be private for the man who despised being called a "land agent," preferring the title "manager of land portfolio."
"Howard had the foresight, but Herb had the vision to carry out his directive, which was to buy land for him," Lillian said. "My husband was one of the important figures in Howard Hughes' history, but because he worked so quietly he did not get the credit for his accomplishments."
She noted that for three years in the 1950s, Herb carried out the task of purchasing undeveloped land in northwest Las Vegas that nearly 40 years later would become the Summerlin planned community. Built by the Howard Hughes Corp., it is the city's largest residential development.
In all, Nall, who shunned publicity, bought 543 parcels in Southern Nevada, totaling 31,000 acres, from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s.
Much of it was government and railroad land, and the deals were done through brokers who could be trusted not to reveal that Hughes was the buyer.
"My husband had a loyalty that you rarely find in employees today," said Lillian, who served for many years on the Nevada Arts Council and owned an art gallery at McCarran International Airport.
"Even long after Howard died, Herb would not tell his story about him -- and he was offered many opportunities to write a book about his experiences. But Herb did not like it when others who were supposedly close to Howard told their (far-fetched) stories."
Still, Lillian wishes her husband had been "a little more vocal" because a rich part of Las Vegas history regarding Hughes has been lost by Herb remaining silent.
"Occasionally, he would tell me a few stories, but his integrity and work ethic prevented him from going public," she said.
Hughes, who had gone from being a very public aviator and movie studio mogul in his youth to being a hermit casino tycoon in his later years, died April 5, 1976.
Lillian said her husband commonly referred to Hughes simply as "Boss," and he was one of the few people who had personal access to Hughes during his reclusive days at his Desert Inn hotel room.
Nall got his start with Hughes in 1951, when he was hired by the Hughes Tool Co., which later became Summa Corp. In addition to being manager of the land portfolio, he was a vice president, secretary and director of subsidiary corporations. He retired in 1977.
In addition to his Southern Nevada land purchases, Nall was instrumental in acquiring 23,000 acres of Tucson-area property and 1,400 acres in California for Hughes.
The Nalls bought the old Artemus Ham home on Paradise and Desert Inn roads in the early 1970s, and lived there until the land was taken by eminent domain in 1994 for construction of the Desert Inn Super Arterial.
In recent years, they have maintained residences in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
In addition to his wife, Nall is survived by three daughters, Patricia Barnes of Tucson, Claire Blue of Washington, D.C., and Thea Badal of Los Angeles; a son, William Blue of Los Angeles; one sister, Betty Powell of Phoenix; a brother, Harold Nall of Texas; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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