Lincoln Fitzgerald, Fitz, a Nevada pioneer who does not get the credit he deserves for his part in making the state what it is today.
My first glimpse of him was in 1956, April or May. I was just discharged from the Navy and headed to Reno. An ad in the newspaper caught my attention. HIRING DEALERS. I had no idea what that entailed, but I decided to look in to it. Prior to applying, I hears many stories about Fitz, Gangster, Purple Gang in Detroit, he got shot in a mob hit, all scary stuff to me.
I entered the old "back door" of The Nevada Club, admittedly with shaking knees and sweaty palms. I walked through the club to the "cage," the cashiers cage, which was his realm. There was this elderly man, white hair, white shirt and tie, suspenders standing behind the bared window. I have no idea what I said to him, at least I was coherent enough to let him know I wanted a job. He asked me a series of questions, where from, discharged from service, as I recalled he was interested in my Father and Mother, married, children, that sort of thing. Really not a lot of questions.
"Take this down to the police station and when you are done, come back here."
"Yes sir."
The police did a background check, handed me a slip of paper and told me to go back to the club. I did, handed Fitz the slip of paper. He looked at it. "Come back in the morning at three, wear a white shirt and tie."
That was it. I really had no idea what I would be doing at three, but I knew I had a job.
I think Fitz liked me. After I became a "dealer" with training on craps, the wheel and Twenty One, we knew I had "sweaty hands." He wanted to to deal Twenty One, but the sweaty hands were a problem. At the end of one shift, he handed he a bottle of "formaldehyde" and wanted me to take it and soak my hands in it, might help. I did, and it didn't. So, I was relegated to the crap table.
I left him after a year and returned to Ohio for a while, decided I wanted to return, called him on the phone, asked about getting my job back, he told me to come on out, I did, and he sent me to his new club at Lake Tahoe, The Nevada Lodge. Only a select few were chosen for that job, I was one of them.
Fitz trained many of the dealers in Nevada in the early years, some went on to some great jobs in the industry. Many years later, I am till proud to say that "I turned out as a clerk for Fitz." No one knows what that means though. In those days the IRS had no classification for dealers, so we were listed as clerks.
Fitz was a pioneer in Nevada, he, and some others are responsible for making Nevada what it is today, and I imagine few are familiar with his name. I, for one, will never forget him. In my pocket now is a $5 Nevada Club chip, and one I cherish, is a $20 blue chip from the Chesterfield Club in Detroit, which Fitz was part owner of before he moved to Reno. Nearby also, a pair of Nevada Club dice.
Thanks, Fitz, as Bob Hope would say, "Aw thanks, for the memories."
I was From Maine 1958 heading to Cal.to meet my wife and passed Reno Archway and thought I had seen this in Movies and stop and look around and inquired about work and a Mr. Roberts the Prim Club said Nevada who hired people for dealer as they trained their own. Long story shot Fitz hired me and I became a dealer and worked four years at the Club. Best job I ever had and dealer of craps and roulette. Fitz was a great person did a lot for his dealer the people never new. My second child was born as down and Fritz sent the wife and I to Stamford U for a week to him valuated and paid for all. Fritz had his ways but he new the business and all the angle. Fitz never laid anyone off during the slower winter months as other clubs did. He had a couple of Maine girls working for him in the office so I thought that's why he hired me . I visited I 1968 and saw Mark my old shift boss and commented that's why and he said hell no your Irish he"d hired a dog if it was Irish. I could go on and on about Fitz. He gave me a job when I need one and I left to go back to Maine he asked if I was coming back I said I hoped too. He had plan of making a pit boss out of me. I went back to help my father run his small business and never returned. Some of the best experience 0f my life the action the people I met. Over look the spelling. Oh yes Fitz and his dog Joey. Ed Andrews known as Big Andy
ReplyDeleteLike Dwayne I have a $20 Chesterfield chip as well as a $5 Nevada Clun chi and a Money Clip with $100 Nevada Club Chip inserted on it. My reason for this note to let everybody know Fitz was very protective of the $20 chips. I use to train dealer on the graveyard shift and I get the $20 chips out and if got caught by Fitz he"d have a pitboss come over and tell me to rack them. To my knowledge we were the only club to have $20 chips and they were from Detriot
ReplyDelete( got an email from a lady who said we forgot her grandfather Sparky. Sparky was a Pit Boss and his brother Warren was shift Boss they from Michigan with Fitz.
ReplyDeleteSparky was a pit boss as was his brother Warren also
ReplyDeleteMark and Taxi were p[it bosses. Big Andy Clayton ED Andrews