Las Vegas historian Hal Rothman dies

HENDERSON, Nev., March 1 (UPI) -- Hal Rothman, 48, a Las Vegas expert who viewed the city with an academic eye, died from complications of Lou Gerhig's disease in his Henderson, Nev., home.

Rothman was diagnosed in December 2005 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative neuromuscular disorder.

"Las Vegas and Hal Rothman were a marriage made in heaven," Andy Kirk, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas history professor, told The Los Angeles Times. "He was a great spokesman for the city. He embraced it and made it his own."

Rothman was chairman of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas history department from 2002-05. He wrote or edited more than a dozen books on the American West, including "Devil's Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century American West," "The Grit Beneath the Glitter: Tales from the Real Las Vegas" and "Neon Metropolis: How Las Vegas Started the Twenty-First Century."

"Neon Metropolis" made him a favorite source for reporters wanting a scholarly opinion of how a dusty gambling town became an international tourist destination, the Times said.

Rothman commented on local public radio, wrote a column for the Las Vegas Sun and contributed to national newspapers and Web sites.

Rothman, who died Sunday, is survived by his wife and two children.