John Kell Houssels

John Kell "J.K." Houssels Jr. was a Las Vegas attorney and gaming industry leader whose roots in the city reached back to his childhood, when he moved to Las Vegas at the age of eight and attended the Fifth Street School at a time when only about 5,000 people lived there. He began his college studies at Stanford University in 1940, completed his education at West Point in 1945, and went on to graduate from Stanford Law School. Returning home to Las Vegas, he passed the Nevada bar and served as an assistant district attorney, and in 1950 he was elected to the Nevada State Assembly.

Houssels became one of the most respected principals in the gaming business, building a career that spanned some of Nevada's most notable properties. He served as vice president at the Tropicana - where he helped bring the Folies Bergere cabaret to the resort - and later as executive vice president at the Union Plaza. In 1980 he became president and vice chairman of Showboat Inc., overseeing the property's expansion and its move into Atlantic City. He remained Showboat's chairman until 1998, when the company was sold to Harrah's.

Recognized for his contributions to the industry and his community, Houssels was inducted into UNLV's Gaming Hall of Fame. He was survived by his wife, Nancy, three children, and seven grandchildren. He died on April 9, 2017, at the age of 94.