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Knappster: Ned Day's daughter checks out Vegas

By George Knapp

I've just finished watching a videotape of a hit musical that is sweeping through high school math classes in Missouri. It's called "Greece--A Mathematical Musical," set to the tunes of the original Grease but focusing on ancient Greek math whizzes instead of John Travolta. The show was written by and stars a theatrical ingenue named Noel Day Ottman. She is the daughter of the late Las Vegas newsman Ned Day, who was Nevada's preeminent journalist in the late '70s and well into the '80s.

There are those who might question whether Ned would be pleased that his daughter would be interested in the performing arts rather than hard journalism. To them, I say, they are overlooking the dramatic talents of one of the great thespians of our time. Ned was as much an actor as Barrymore or Olivier. He perfected a version of De Niro-esque street lingo. He could smooth-talk a source (or a young lady) with the suave charm of Cary Grant. And many a time, I listened in the newsroom to his telephoned tirades and tongue-lashings, delivered with fury worthy of Pacino. Oh, Ned was an actor all right.

Ned Day died in Hawaii in 1987 while on vacation with the love of his life, Mary Ottman. Months later, Mary gave birth to Noel, the daughter whom Ned never got to meet. When Ned's friends learned about Noel, they got together to create the Ned Day Scholarhsip Fund. "It was for two purposes," says political consultant Sig Rogich. "We wanted to memorialize Ned, but we also wanted to help take care of Noel by making sure she could afford college when the time came."

Other prominent Las Vegans who contributed to the scholarship fund were Ned's former co-anchor, Sue Lowden, Circus Circus (now Mandalay) executive Mike Sloan, R&R's Billy Vassiliadis, animal activist Janie Greenspun Gale, then-university Regent Shelley Berkley, gaming honchos Bob Stupak, Burton Cohen and Steve and Elaine Wynn, newsman Dave Kelley, and many other locals who loved and respected Ned. Then-UNLV President Bob Maxson helped oversee the project, which collected a total of $50,000, enough to endow a yearly award to a journalism student, with the bulk of the scholarship to be awarded to Noel when she reached college age. At least that's what the donors thought.

"I remember it very clearly that it was supposed to go to Noel, and I even have a copy of the letter I sent to Mary Ottman, telling her about it," recalls Sue Lowden. "I think Shelley Berkley told us it would be no problem to do it this way."

But apparently there is a problem. The UNLV Foundation has informed this reporter that there is no way the Ned Day scholarship will go to Ned's daughter. Wendy Nelson of the foundation says it would have been illegal to designate a single recipient and that there is no paperwork to indicate this was ever the intention anyway. I called Bob Maxson, as well as his former VP, Lyle Rivera, and while they sympathize with the original intent of the donors, they acknowledge that IRS regulations would prohibit designating the scholarship recipient. In other words, Noel and her mom are on their own, no matter what Ned's friends hoped to accomplish.

I got a chance to meet Noel two months ago. She and her mom came to Las Vegas to take a look around, and to attend a Star Trek convention. (Believe me, Ned may not have been a sci-fi fan, but he liked a good yarn as much as anyone.) She is a delightful young woman, now a sophomore in high school, a brilliant student who not only has an interest in drama but also in journalism. (She already writes better than yours truly.) Ned's pal Mark Fierro and I got a chance to spend some time with mother and daughter, who live near Kansas City, and to tell tales about our late friend. (No, not those stories.) Noel wasn't sure she would like Las Vegas but wrote to me afterward that it was illuminating, enjoyable and inspirational.

Noel's grades are good enough, and her family finances are such that she will probably earn some sort of scholarship anyway. But it isn't a certainty, and it isn't what Ned's friends wanted. Maybe UNLV's hands are tied, but this seems a pretty crummy way to end this story. The intention was that Noel should benefit from the scholarship fund. That's why most of them donated in the first place. I would only hope that some of those who might have some influence on this matter would make a call or two.

LV sex czar weighs

options, watches back

It's been a few years since Terry Gordon has made any news in these parts, but for decades he was considered the sex king of Las Vegas. Gordon has owned swingers clubs, sex tease clubs, you name it. More recently, he was pursuing a deal to buy the venerable Palomino Club in North Las Vegas, a totally nude jiggle joint of some repute.

Gordon called Knappster the other day to relate a not-so-funny story about his attempted purchase. It seems that bad luck plagued the deal before it could be consummated. One of Gordon's partners turned up dead. A second partner disappeared, he says. And then Gordon received an ominous phone call in which he was told to get out of the deal or else he could expect "a visit." Chances are it wasn't the first such threat he's ever received, but considering the circumstances he took this one seriously.

While Gordon has long been viewed with suspicion by law enforcement folks, he didn't hesitate to take this information to the FBI. He also brought it up in a legal action he's filed, alleging a breach of contract. He is also vowing to open a huge, stinking can of worms concerning longstanding cozy relationships between the Palomino and various officials in North Las Vegas, past and present. (He tells an interesting tale about how he's been received by licensing officials, for example.) If anyone can ferret out the dirt, it's Terry Gordon.

Names and faces

Las Vegan Col. John Alexander, known for his books on military issues and for his frequent local and national TV appearances, is off on a new adventure. Alexander was contacted by some old friends in the defense establishment and was asked to spend a few months in Afghanistan. Col. Alexander is unavailable to talk about what he's doing, but we've been told by informed sources that he is in Kabul, serving as a hands-on adviser to Afghani defense officials, trying to bring that troubled country's armed forces up to modern standards. ... The National Park Service is considering an offer to buy the Hacienda Hotel, which is located within the Lake Mead National Recreational Area, thus qualifying as the only casino property in the national park system. Any such purchase is still far down the line, but Knappster has been told that one possibility would have the Park Service move its offices from a sprawling complex in downtown Boulder City into the hotel. (Hey, every office would have its own bathroom!) It would make sense for the Park Service to have its offices within the park it regulates. It would also open up some interesting possibilities for little Boulder City if that large piece of property in the middle of town suddenly became available for other development. Plus, a sale to the government would get the Hacienda's owners out from under a money-losing investment. Now, if they can just figure out how to take care of the hotel's employees, it sounds like a winning deal all the way around. ... A Freedom of Information Act request to the Bureau of Land Management for a copy of its recent investigation into alleged hazing of firefighter trainees has been rejected. A letter from the BLM informed this writer that the request was denied because the documents in question "are part of a pending law enforcement investigation." It's an interesting resposne from the BLM, which insisted weeks ago that the hazing allegations were greatly blown out of proportion and are seen merely as a personnel matter. ... Say, did that Channel 5 reporter really tell local viewers that "the town of Julian was wiped out by a wildfire"? That must be shocking news to the residents of that still-thriving California burg. ... Las Vegas news crews who covered the wildfires say Fox News showboat Geraldo Rivera received a less-than-warm welcome from fire crews on the front lines in SoCal.