Joseph M. Neal Jr. was born July 28, 1935. Senator Joe Neal shares many memories of his childhood in Mound, Louisiana. He recalls his mother leaving him and his older brother Willie with a woman named Bea so that she could go to Alexander to get a job. He and Willie were ages 2 and 4, respectively, and were frequently left on their own. Willie would leave periodically for hours at a time and come back with food. He eventually took Joe to meet the couple who were supplying the meals, Mary and Gowens Prayder.

Station Casinos, Inc., was started by Frank J. Fertitta Jr. in 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada as a single gambling facility. The facility was known as The Casino and underwent various expansions over the years before changing its name to the Palace Station in 1983. Fertitta’s son, Frank J. Fertitta III, joined the company in 1984 as vice president and director. Station Casinos continued expanding throughout the 1990s and establishing additional gaming facilities in Missouri including riverboat and dockside gaming in St.