Newsletter issued by the Las Vegas Rotary Club

Dr. Percy Poon was born in Hong Kong in 1958, the oldest of four children. He attended Catholic school through junior high and high school, but decided to work after high school instead of going on to college. After working in banking and police forensics for a couple of years, he decided to continue his education. Percy studied economics at a university in Hong Kong, graduated at age 25, and then applied to Southwest Texas State for an MBA. Having earned his degree after only a year and a half, he applied and was accepted to a PhD program at Louisiana State. He interviewed for several jobs as he was approaching graduation, but decided to follow one of his professors, Mel Jameson, to UNLV. In August of 1989, Dr. Poon moved to Las Vegas to take on a visiting professorship, and the next year was promoted to tenure-track assistant professorship. In 1994, he met and married his wife, and they make their home in the southwest valley. Percy recalls the different styles and contributions of university presidents Robert Maxson and Carol Harter. His memories of first arriving in Las Vegas include the marvel of the volcano at the new Mirage Hotel, the oppressive heat, and the smaller size of the city. Currently, Dr. Percy is dean of the College of Business and Finance, and feels that the program is working towards competitiveness with other well-established university programs, such as UCLA or Arizona State. He feels that progress has been made in pushing for academic exams, but that increased funding will create better programs and opportunities. Dr. Poon became a U.S. citizen in 1998, and makes occasional visits to his family still living in Hong Kong. He and his wife socialize occasionally with colleagues and church acquaintances, and also entertain family members when they visit from Hong Kong.

Judy Bayley at a public event relating to the Trailrides at the Palomino Room at the Hacienda Hotel and Casino. The unidentified man standing behind Judy Bayley is wearing a badge that says "Judy Bayley's 4th Annual Las Vegas Hacienda Trail Ride Thru Paradise Valley 1971." "Participant" is stamped on the attached ribbon. Judith “Judy” Bayley, namesake of the Judy Bayley Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was once known as “The First Lady of Gambling.” Judy and her husband Warren “Doc” Bayley opened the Hacienda Hotel and Casino on October 17, 1956. After Warren’s unexpected death from a heart attack on December, 26, 1964, Judy Bayley took over the ownership and operations of the Hacienda. By doing so, she became the first woman in Nevada history to be the sole owner and operator of a hotel-casino. An avid horsewoman, as a publicity campaign, Judy started “The Hacienda Trailrides.” Which some considered the social event of the year. The first trailride was held in December, 1968 to commemorate Pearl Harbor. The ride began at the Valley of Fire State Park and Ended in Overton, Nevada. Judy donated all proceeds from the trailride to benefit the local Veterans of Foreign Wars. Four Trailrides were held over the next four years, leaving from Tule Springs (now Floyd Lamb State Park), and from the Hacienda itself before they were discontinued after her death. After Judy’s death from cancer on December 31, 1971, the Hacienda was sold in 1972. The Hacienda’s doors closed to the public on December 10, 1996. The hotel was imploded on December 31, 1996 on the 25th anniversary of Judy Bayley’s death, and was broadcast on the Fox news network as part of their New Year’s Eve 1996 telecast. In March 1999, it was replaced with the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.