E Parry Thomas

Thomas died Aug. 26 at his family’s River Grove Farm estate in Hailey, Idaho, just on the cusp of Sun Valley. He was 95. Parry Thomas’ children Roger Thomas (the acclaimed resort designer for Steve Wynn), Jane Thomas Sturdivant; Thomas A. Thomas; Dr. Steven Thomas and Peter Thomasalso spoke. Thomas founded the Bank of Las Vegas, later known as the Bank of Nevada, with his close friend Jerry Mack(who died in 1998) as his business partner. The financial institution was the first to routinely loan money to casinos. Many resort magnates — including Howard Hughes and Wynn — were able to purchase properties that reaped many millions in profits in Las Vegas. Thomas was largely responsible for the change in laws that allowed publicly held companies to invest in casinos, pulling the gaming industry away from organized crime and into the light of corporate ownership. With Mack, Thomas also formed the foundation that bought the 300 acres of land that became the UNLV campus and later funded the arena that bears their names.