{"id":11014,"date":"2015-04-20T17:51:54","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T00:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/?p=11014"},"modified":"2015-04-21T08:58:12","modified_gmt":"2015-04-21T15:58:12","slug":"betty-willis-designer-of-the-iconic-las-vegas-sign-dies-at-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/betty-willis-designer-of-the-iconic-las-vegas-sign-dies-at-91\/","title":{"rendered":"Betty Willis, Designer of the Iconic Las Vegas Sign, Dies at 91"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We’re sad to report Betty Willis, designer of the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign has died at age 91.<\/p>\n

Willis, once called the “birth mother of fabulous,” passed away in her home in Overton, Nevada on April 19, 2015.<\/p>\n

\"Betty
Two of a Las Vegas blog’s favorite things, Betty Willis and her sign.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Willis began her career drawing showgirls in newspaper ads.<\/p>\n

She eventually got a job at Young Electric Sign Company, now called Yesco. After that, she worked for Western Neon, at a time when women commercial artists were rare.<\/p>\n

The idea for the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign came from a Vegas salesman, Ted Rogich. Rogich felt Vegas had signs for everything but itself. Rogich and Willis sold the sign to Clark County for $4,000. The famous, 25-foot-tall sign was completed in 1959.<\/p>\n

Betty Willis never trademarked the sign’s design, making it free to use on every imaginable kind of merchandise.<\/p>\n

Willis considered the sign a “gift to the city.” She was right.<\/p>\n

\"Las
The Las Vegas sign is just a sign like Mount Everest is just a hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign is on the National Register of Historic Places. There are two replicas of Willis’ sign. One was installed on Las Vegas Boulevard, and the other is on Boulder Highway.<\/p>\n

While her “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign is her most famous, Willis designed other signs as well, including the signs for the Stardust and Moulin Rouge casinos, the Blue Angel Motel and others.<\/p>\n

\"Stardust\"
That’s just great, now we’re getting all weepy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Much of Willis’ work can still be seen at the Neon Museum, a must-visit time machine to Sin City’s colorful past.<\/p>\n

Betty Willis made her mark on the world when she designed the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. It’s easily one of the most recognized signs anywhere.<\/p>\n

\"Las
Throughout its history, this sign has been one of the most-photographed landmarks in Las Vegas. Especially by this Las Vegas blog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In our book, creating the Las Vegas sign is as close as it gets to immortality.<\/p>\n

Thank you, Betty.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re sad to report Betty Willis, designer of the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign has died at age 91. Willis, once called the “birth mother of fabulous,” passed away in her home in Overton, Nevada on April 19, 2015. Willis began her career drawing showgirls in newspaper ads. She eventually got a job […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vegas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBetty Willis, Designer of the Las Vegas Sign, Dies at 91<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sad news. Betty Willis, pioneering designer of the world's most famous sign, the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, has died at 91.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Betty Willis, Designer of the Las Vegas Sign, Dies at 91\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sad news. Betty Willis, pioneering designer of the world's most famous sign, the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, has died at 91.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/betty-willis-designer-of-the-iconic-las-vegas-sign-dies-at-91\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vital Vegas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VitalLasVegas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-21T00:51:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-04-21T15:58:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/betty_willis1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scott Roeben\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@vitalvegas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@vitalvegas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scott Roeben\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Betty Willis, Designer of the Las Vegas Sign, Dies at 91","description":"Sad news. 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