Sternberg, Gary

Gary (Gerd) Sternberg is an inventor, businessman, and retired Las Vegas, Nevada casino dealer. Born in Cuxhaven, Germany in 1931 to a Christian mother and a Jewish father, he lived in Shanghai, China with his family during World War II. After moving to the United States in 1948, Sternberg was drafted into the military during the Korean War. After serving 21 months, he returned home to Cleveland, Ohio and worked as a factory foreman and as a washer and dryer repairman. Sternberg moved to Los Angeles, California, where he and his wife Noreen started an interior decorating business called Driftwood Décor and Other Delights. The couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1969. Sternberg founded a washer and dryer repair business in Las Vegas called Appliance Outlet, but decided to change career paths at age 44. He learned how to deal cards at Michael Gaughan's Dealing School and worked at the El Cortez before dealing at Caesars Palace for 31 years. During the 1970s he founded the Las Vegas Table Tennis Association, which brought international championships to the city. Sternberg is also an active member of Congregation Ner Tamid and the Holocaust Survivors Group of Southern Nevada.

Source:

Sternberg, Gary. Interview, 2015 February. OH-02274. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.