This was written a few days after the death of Mr. Sinatra.

All of us in Vegas who knew him were in a confused state. We, who had been around Vegas all these years knew the town was changing and that the old days were over, but the death of Sinatra sealed it. We knew now it just would never be the same. You hear a lot of how Sinatra built this town. Well, we in the Casino business know that is true. He turned a cowboy town that had some gambling in the desert to the prime entertainment spot in the U.S. He made "Vegas" the place to go to.

I have been asked about what is going on here in Vegas. As you can probably realize, Vegas is in a state of shock right now.

Both local papers, The Las Vegas Sun and The Review Journal are covering it extensively. For those who are in into collecting things about Sinatra, I recommend you get this mornings, Sundays Review Journal paper. It has Sinatra on the front page and has a big special section about his Las Vegas history. You can call the paper or contact them on line at www.lasvegas.com

The Las Vegas Sun paper is part of the RJ Sunday paper.

As you will see, some of the things Sinatra has done for others here is starting to come out. Many, including myself will probably start talking about some of the things that couldn't be talked about till now. Mr. S. would just now allow it.

Joe Delaney, who has been a local newspaper man here for years and covered the entertainers for the Sun, tells about Sinatra's support of local things.

I can give some insight into it. We have a local PBS station here. Every year there is the fund raising month you see throughout the US. When this station started many years ago, Sinatra would come by and visit and talk to the people on the air. He would ask for others and especially other entertainers to send something in.

What was not known till now is that at the end of the fund raising week, he would call and find out if they made their target. If not, he only wanted to know how much it would take to make the it. He would send in a check for the difference the next day. The station was not to tell who this came from.

He did this year after year. Every year the station would announce they made their fund raising total. Mr. S made sure they did. Only stipulation was his name was not to to be mentioned.

Other stories of what he done will start to come out, I'm sure.

Yesterday, Steve Wynn has a press conference and talked about his friend, Sinatra. Remember it was Sinatra who played the Golden Nugget in downtown Vegas after Wynn had spent millions in construction and renovation. Wynn wanted to turn around the downtown hotels. The "strip" became the place to play and no one of stature would play downtown. Entertainers spent their careers trying to get out of downtown and get to the strip. So after Wynn reopens the Golden Nugget he opens with Frank Sinatra. What a move. Of course, the Nugget becomes the place to be and draws a lot big players to it and it becomes a tremendous success.

I have worked with and hired entertainers for casino/hotel work and I'm telling you, no one but Sinatra could of done that. I don't know of anyone who would have had the guts to do it. He turned downtown around. He saved it.

Wynn has kept the microphone and stand that Sinatra has used and will put it on display. The dressing room he used will be kept as it is. No one since has been allowed to use that room.

Friday night, all the hotels on strip and downtown turned off their lights for one minute in tribute to Mr. S.

It was something to see. Around 8:30, the hotels started turning off their lights. Thousands of people had come to the strip to be there. Many were crying and talking about their love for Mr. S. Many has brought candles with them and started lighting them for this moment. The lights on the hotels started going dark and it became very silent. No one was talking or moving. Even when the lights on the street would turn green the cars would not go. The strip has come to a complete stop.

After a minute, the lights started coming on and of course at Ceasars Palace it has a large picture, in lights of Sinatra. The crowd of people started cheering and applauding. This spread from Ceasars up and down the strip. In a minute or two, there were thousands of people cheering and applauding and the cars honking. All in a wonderful and jubilant tribute to The Man.

A standing ovation from the citizens of this town and the people who love him.