Paul S. Endy, Founder of Paul-Son Gaming, Dies; Las Vegas Gaming Industry Pioneer Was 70.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 1999--

Paul S. Endy, Jr., 70, a pioneering Las Vegas entrepreneur, businessman, member of the Gaming Hall of Fame and prominent philanthropist, who founded Paul-Son Gaming Corporation and was its chairman and chief executive officer for more than 35 years, died on April 10 in Las Vegas after a long illness.

Throughout his career in the gaming industry, Endy was recognized as an innovator in the creation, production, marketing and distribution of casino products. He founded Paul-Son Dice and Card Company in 1963, following several years in sales and management with T.R. King & Co., a California gaming supplies distributor and dice manufacturer owned by his father.

Paul S. Endy was chairman of the board and chief executive officer until November 1998 when his son Eric P. Endy assumed the responsibilities of chairman and chief executive officer.

Endy moved his family from California to Las Vegas, where he purchased a bankrupt dice company in 1963, with financial help from his father. With the help of his father and his sons, he began manufacturing dice and selling casino equipment to the gaming industry.

As legalized gaming grew, Paul-Son established offices throughout the U.S. and expanded its product offerings to include a diversified line of casino chips, playing cards, casino furniture and other gaming accessories. Paul-Son also introduced new technologies to the gaming industry, including chips designed with encoded microfilm that provides security against counterfeiting, and a proprietary molding system that allows highly detailed graphics to be applied to chips.

Paul-Son was taken public in 1994 and is now the nation's leading manufacturer and supplier of table game equipment. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Authentic Products, Inc., also designs and markets non-gaming products for the sports, entertainment and memorabilia markets.

Endy and his wife Aniela were important contributors to numerous charitable, civic and educational organizations with a focus on those that benefit youth in the U.S. and in Mexico where Paul-Son has its production facilities. He was one of the principal supporters and a board member of WESTCARE, a non-profit drug rehabilitation program; UNLV baseball; and the Boy Scouts of America.

Endy funded extensive capital improvements to Asilo de Ancianos, a residence for impoverished older women in Mexico, and was a major contributor to a San Luis, Mexico, orphanage. Endy was also a lifetime member of Optimist International, and a member of the Zelzah Shrine Temple and Elks Lodge. He was a recipient of the Governor's Award from the State of Sonora in Mexico for outstanding social service, and the San Luis Social Assistance "Man of the Year" Award in 1990.

Endy was born in Monterey Park, CA, in 1928, and was a varsity baseball and football player at Long Beach City College.

He is survived by his wife, Aniela; two sons, Eric P. Endy and Patrick Endy; a brother Charles and 12 grandchildren, all of Las Vegas; a stepson, Erich Esswein of Colorado; and a stepdaughter, Katrina Pilz. Another son, Thomas, predeceased him.

Funeral services will be at 1 P.M., Thursday, April 15, at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. Burial will be in Paradise Memorial Gardens, Las Vegas. Contributions may be made to WESTCARE Foundation c/o Paul Endy.