William F. Harrah won Best of Show at Pebble Beach. After his death Holiday Inn acquired Harrah's of which the car collection was part of. The bulk of the collection were sold at several auctions between 1984-1986 for more than $100 million. An outcry by the people of Reno and Sparks led to Holiday Inn donating 175 vehicles to establish the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, a collection also referred to as The Harrah Collection. Some cars were also donated to form the Imperial Palace Auto Collection in Las Vegas. Harrah was married seven times to six women, including the singer-songwriter Bobbie
William F. Harrah Gentry in 1969. With ex-wife Scherry (whom he married twice), he adopted two boys named John and Tony. His widow, Verna, worked as a film producer on such features as "Anaconda". The highest Total Rewards Card Tier, "Seven Stars", was named after his seven wives. Harrah died in Rochester, Minnesota, at the age of 66, during a cardiac surgery operation to repair an aortic aneurysm. William F. Harrah William Fisk Harrah (September 2, 1911 – June 30, 1978) was an American businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos, now part of Caesars Entertainment Corporation. Harrah was born in