LIVING WITH ART BLOG

Karl Brenner, "Above Lemon Lake," Oil on Canvas, 14 x 18 in.

It was in the early 1970’s that I decided to gamble. Seriously gamble. At the suggestion and encouragement of a fellow Instructor at Tulsa Junior College, I applied for a summer job dealing Blackjack at Harrah’s Casino in Lake Tahoe. Growing up I didn't play cards, not even Old Maids, because, in my family of origin, gambling was considered a sin. So my decision to spend the summer being a card dealer meant that not only must I learn the house’s way of counting to 21 and acquire card handling skills, It meant I would also need a “good story” so as not to get any grief from my parents about my decision. Being totally intrigued with the opportunity to spend the summer in a place of such dramatic natural beauty, to meet celebrities and other interesting people and hopefully get comped to a lot of show was important to me. I decided to tell my parents I was going to work for a “financial institution” that sought to hire teachers for summer work.

Barbra Streisand

Bobbie Gentry

When I called the head of Harrah’s Human Resources Department to inquire how to apply, the Director wasn’t particularly impressed that I knew absolutely nothing about BlackJack, or for that matter anything about dice or card games. But he reluctantly told me if I was hired, they would send me to Pit School. After telling him I did have some Personnel and Public Relations experience and suggesting that if I was a disaster on the floor, he could put me in an office, he immediately offered me a job over the phone. With a job offer in hand, it was time to talk to my parents. I spoke with them persuasively about how much I really needed and deserved this particular summer break. I said it would improve my mental health, explaining that teaching was totally exhausting, especially since I was teaching challenging students who were my age and older. I also said that living in a part of the country that was so beautiful would enhance my appreciation of art as well as my photography skills. I explained that with the encouragement and help of a colleague, I had found a job with a financial institution in Lake Tahoe for the summer. They seemed a bit surprised that I had sought and found employment in Nevada, but weren’t overly concerned. Whew!

Caryl Morgan, "Day & Night Inn," Watercolor, 8 x 8 in.

Caryl Morgan, "Star Light Inn," Watercolor, 8 x 8 in.

Working at Harrah’s was a wonderful experience. I had a lot of fun, became interested in the psychology of behavior, developed some practical survival skills and learned many life lessons. Bobby Gentry, then 27 years old, had married and divorced Bill Harrah, who was 30 years her senior. All of us were intrigued with her “rags to riches” life story. We often greeted each other with a line from her song, “Ode to Billie Joe". My favorite greeting was “Pass the Biscuits Please.” While at Harrah’s that summer, I played BlackJack with both Joe Namath and Glen Campbell, though not at the same time. I also played with a lot of agents, band directors, back up singers, comedians and musicians. A horn player who was in Tony’s Bennett’s orchestra was a momentary romantic interest. There was even a blind professor from San Francisco who came to Tahoe every two weeks to play with me. Almost everyone with whom I interacted had a fascinating life story. 

Stevie Wonder

BB King 

Diana Ross

The entertainment in all the casinos that summer was spectacular! I sat spellbound when Barbara Striesland, BB King, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross were in concert. Occasionally, when I had a weekend off, I would go to San Francisco or Vegas and enjoy even more entertainment and check out some museums and art galleries. After I had been working the floor for a few weeks, Harrah’s management asked me to start “breakIng hostile tables,” which meant I would take over tables from other dealers, usually during the late shift, when the players were losing and becoming angry and belligerent. It was my job to take over the game and endeavor to improve attitudes. Breaking hostile tables not only paid more money, it was excellent training in how to manage expectations and conflict. At the end of the summer, Harrah’s offered me a position in Public Relations in their corporate offices in Reno, Nevada. It was an extremely flattering offer, but I decided that having a lifelong career in a “financial institution” was probably not my calling. Besides, if I stayed away from home much longer my parents would probably decide to visit me. However, I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion they knew exactly where I was and what I was doing that summer.

Jim Keffer, "Room Number 6 Black," Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 30 in. 

Recently, it’s been devastating to hear the news and see the images of the fires raging in and around Tahoe. Through tears, I have remembered the rustic and charming cabin I rented in the mountains that summer so long ago. I remember the place making rocks and the stream that ran by the cabin where I sat and dreamed about how my life would unfold. I remember many of the people I met. Interacting with all those personality types certainly prepared me for Act II of my Career, which focused on personality and family systems theory as it relates to organizations and careers. In many ways working in a casino was also great preparation for Act III of my career as an art dealer. Artists gamble everyday that their ideas and skills will be accepted, valued and purchased. My primary take away from my reflections on that summer working at Harrah’s is that if we are to continue to survive: “We can not continue to recklessly gamble with human life or with our environment.” While it’s important to take risks in life, it is not in our best interest to gamble with people’s lives, our environment or with the things we value as a society.