Ralph Louis Engelstad[1] (January 28, 1930 – November 26, 2002) was an American businessman who owned the Imperial Palace casino-hotels in Las Vegas and in Biloxi, Mississippi.
[2] During high school, Engelstad worked a summer job at AGSCO farm supply company, where his father was a salesman.
[3] It was usually long and hard work, taking place on farms and requiring the workers to assemble steel buildings from morning to night.
In 1959, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where his construction company had secured government contracts to build FHA homes.
In 2002, Engelstad was inducted into the North Dakota Entrepreneur Hall of Fame for his contributions to the construction, casino and entertainment industries.
[9] In addition to the memorabilia he stored on display in his "war room", a printing plate was found within his hotel that was used to make bumper stickers that read "Hitler Was Right".
Engelstad apologized publicly for the parties, saying they were "stupid, insensitive and held in bad taste", but the row was not to be his last controversial move.
[12] The North Dakota Board of Higher Education ruled on April 8, 2010, to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname in response to pressure from the NCAA.
Since its inception, the foundation has provided more than $300 million in grants to organizations focused on animal compassion, at-risk individuals, education, historical preservation, medical research and support, people with disabilities and veterans.