On September 25, 2009 Bob Stupak, who'd narrowly escaped death on at least one previous occasion, finally succombed to the leukaemia he'd been fighting for some time. He was 67. An entrepreneur, unashamed self-promoter, gambler, and self-styled "Polish maverick," Stupak (the other "Mr Las Las Vegas") was responsible for Vegas World, the Stratosphere, and the longest-running promotion in Vegas casino history, among many other things. For those of you unfamiliar with the checkered history and colorful past of this old-school Vegas character, his life and times are chronicled by Las Vegas columnist John L. Smith in the book No Limit.
The construction of the Stratosphere Tower was mired in controversy and scandal and eventually the enterprise went bankrupt; it was rescued by fellow poker player Lyle Berman's Grand Casinos and Stupak's involvement in the final completion was limited. He later said he wasn't happy with the way the casino was laid out -- including with the bronze the statue of himself erected in the entrance way, which he later claimed he did not authorize.
The statue subsequently disappeared mysteriously in the middle of the night, before resurfacing in 1999 as part of the Tropicana's Casino Legends Hall of Fame, a 5,000-square-foot museum displaying the largest collection of Nevada gaming memorabilia in existence, with upwards of 15,000 individual items. The Hall of Fame survived a few years before closing, to be replaced by the The Las Vegas Historic Museum, which also closed.
The Hall of Fame collection was privately owned and we recall speaking with the owner some years back, when he was trying to get a new exhibit off the ground somewhere. Las Vegas has never been too big on preserving its history and we weren't surprised to see nothing come of this venture, at least to date. The tide seems to be turning somewhat, however, with both the Mob and Neon Museum projects moving forward, albeit slowly, not to mention Las Vegas Blvd. North's recent official designation as a National Scenic Byway, so perhaps Stupak's statue and the rest of the Gambler's Hall of Fame will see the light of day again sometime...
