Sarann Knight-Preddy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarann Knight-Preddy
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| Born | July 22, 1920 |
| Died | December 22, 2014 (aged 94) |
| Occupation | business leader and gaming pioneer |
Sarann Knight-Preddy (born July 27, 1920 – died December 22, 2014) was an amazing American business leader. She was a pioneer in the gaming world of Nevada. In 1950, she made history. She became the first and only woman of color to get a gaming license in the state. Sarann also helped start a local Democratic Club in Las Vegas.
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Sarann's Early Life and Family
Sarann Chiles was born on July 27, 1920. Her hometown was Eufaula, Oklahoma. Her parents, Carl and Hattie Chiles, were of mixed heritage. They had white, Spanish, Muscogee, and African-American roots. Sarann's parents were successful business owners. Her father even owned a factory that made cinder blocks.
Sarann learned about business from a young age. When she was just 13, she sold pig's feet for five cents. She remembered how hard it was to keep up with her customers' demands! After high school, Sarann married Luther Walker. In 1942, she moved with her husband and father to Las Vegas.
Starting a Career in Las Vegas
When Sarann arrived in Las Vegas, the city was segregated. This meant black people could not live in Downtown Las Vegas. Their lives centered around West Las Vegas. This area was where black people could live and run businesses. Black performers could work in white clubs on the Las Vegas Strip. But after work, they had to return to clubs in West Vegas. These clubs were owned by black and Chinese business people.
Sarann remembered that black people could not go to downtown clubs. However, children of all races went to school together. They also attended the same churches. Many performers, both black and white, visited the black after-hours clubs. Sarann found few job openings at first. So, she went to Los Angeles for business school. After returning to Las Vegas, she became a Keno writer at the Cotton Club. She also learned how to deal 21.
Becoming a Gaming Pioneer
Sarann later married William Scruggs. She followed him to Hawthorne, Nevada. There, she bought a bar called the Lincoln Bar in 1951. She paid $600 for it. She renamed it the Tonga Club. Sarann ran it as a gaming nightclub for seven years. This made her the first black woman in Nevada to hold a gaming license.
In 1957, Sarann returned to Las Vegas. The Hawthorne Army Depot, a big employer, had closed. Her first job back was at the El Morocco. After a year, she worked at the Louisiana Club and then the Town Tavern. These clubs were owned by African-American men. They hired African-Americans to work there. Sarann was dealing cards at all these places.
Facing Challenges and Making Change
In 1958, Las Vegas passed a new rule. It said women could not work as dealers. For a short time, Sarann ran a dry cleaning business and a dress shop. But she sold them. She used the money to buy the Playhouse Lounge. She could not get a gaming license for her own club. So, she sold it and went to work at Jerry's Nugget.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was working to integrate casinos. They were told that if they found an experienced woman, Jerry's would hire a black dealer. Sarann was asked to try it. She agreed to work for six months. She ended up staying for seven years!
Later Years and Community Work
Sarann left Jerry's in 1979. She decided to run for a seat on the Las Vegas City Council. She was the first black person to win a primary election. But in the final vote, she lost by just 72 votes. After the election, she bought Woody's Supper Club. She changed its name to Sarann's Supper Club.
She soon realized the place was too small for a fancy restaurant. So, she renamed it again to the People's Choice Casino. She got a gaming license and added poker and Blackjack tables. After several years, she looked into buying the Moulin Rouge Hotel in 1989. Sarann used her own money to fix up the hotel. She even sold her home to help fund the project. The Moulin Rouge had been closed since 1955.
Sarann leased the Moulin Rouge with a chance to buy it later. Even though she had a gaming license for People's Choice, it took her a long time. From 1985 to 1990, she worked to get a license for the Moulin Rouge. She first opened it as a cocktail bar.
The Moulin Rouge was special. It was the first hotel-casino in Las Vegas that allowed people of all races. After many years of hard work, Sarann, her husband Joe Preddy, and their son James Walker succeeded. In 1992, they got the hotel listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, a fire destroyed the Moulin Rouge in 2009. The building was later torn down. Sarann was sad, but she believed the land itself was historic. She hoped a new Moulin Rouge could be built there. The original hotel was where an agreement to end segregation on the Las Vegas Strip was signed in 1960.
In the 1980s, Sarann and Bob Bailey started a non-profit group. They wanted to make Jackson Avenue better. This was a historic black neighborhood in West Las Vegas. Sarann became president of the Jackson Street Redevelopment Company. They planned to create a walking area with shops. They got contracts and were promised federal money. They even made a video to attract investors. Sarann kept trying to get people to invest. She wanted to stop crime and bring money into the area. But by 2005, the city pulled out of the plan.
Sarann's Lasting Legacy
Sarann Preddy received an honorary doctorate degree. This was from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was only the second African-American woman to get this honor. The other was the famous singer Diana Ross.
In 2011, Sarann received the Racial Harmony Hall Of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also featured in two documentaries. One was called The Gaming Queen in 2012. The other was part of a series called MAKERS: Women in Nevada History in 2014.
Sarann was very active in her community. She served on a local NAACP board. She helped start a Democratic Club in Las Vegas. She also held a leadership role in the Gamma Phi Delta Sorority. In 2014, Sarann published her autobiography. It was called 72 Years in Las Vegas. Sarann Preddy passed away in 2014.
