William M. Grace
Encyclopedia
William M. Grace was a building developer who played an important role in bringing casinos to the Midwest.
Grace was born on a farm near Burlington Junction, Missouri
. He received a B.S. and later and MBA from the University of Arizona in 1959. He taught at Arizona State University
. In 1966 W.M. Grace
Construction and W.M. Grace Development Company initially headquartered in St. Joseph, Missouri but later headquartered in Arizona.
The company built shopping centers and houses throughout Arizona and Missouri as well as well some of the first public buildings at Missouri State University
as well as the B.D. Owens Library at Northwest Missouri State University
.
In the 1990s after gambling in various levels became legal in the Midwest he owned, built and managed:
His firm managed Native American gambling enterprises
at:
Following his death the four Missouri and one Iowa casinos were sold to Herbst Gaming
for $287 million. The Woodlands has subsequently closed. Money from these and other business activities are now used by the W.M. Grace Foundation.
Grace was born on a farm near Burlington Junction, Missouri
Burlington Junction, Missouri
Burlington Junction is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 632 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burlington Junction is located at ....
. He received a B.S. and later and MBA from the University of Arizona in 1959. He taught at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. In 1966 W.M. Grace
Construction and W.M. Grace Development Company initially headquartered in St. Joseph, Missouri but later headquartered in Arizona.
The company built shopping centers and houses throughout Arizona and Missouri as well as well some of the first public buildings at Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
as well as the B.D. Owens Library at Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
.
In the 1990s after gambling in various levels became legal in the Midwest he owned, built and managed:
- St. Jo Frontier Casino, St Joseph, Missouri
- Lakeside Casino and Resort, Osceola, IowaOsceola, IowaOsceola is a city in Clarke County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clarke County.-Geography:Osceola is located at , at the junction of Interstate 35 and U.S. Routes 34 and 69...
- Mark Twain CasinoMark Twain CasinoTerrible's Mark Twain Casino is a stationary boat casino in La Grange, Missouri owned by Affinity Gaming on the Mississippi River.The casino has 665 gaming machines, 14 table and poker games.The casino was developed by William M. Grace...
, La Grange, MissouriLa Grange, MissouriLa Grange is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,000 at the 2000 census. Since the 2000 census the population has been dwindling. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Police Scandal:... - The WoodlandsThe Woodlands (race track)The Woodlands was a greyhound racing track at 9700 Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kansas from 1989 until 2008.-History:In 1986 Kansas voters permitted parimutuel betting....
dog racing track, Kansas City, KansasKansas City, KansasKansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
His firm managed Native American gambling enterprises
Native American gambling enterprises
Native American gaming enterprises are gaming businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land in the United States. Indian tribes have limited sovereignty over these businesses and therefore are granted the ability to establish gambling enterprises outside of direct state...
at:
- Casino White Cloud, White Cloud, KansasWhite Cloud, KansasWhite Cloud is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. It was named for James White Cloud, son of Chief White Cloud of the Iowa Tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 176. White Cloud is the seat of government for the Iowa Reservation of Kansas and Nebraska...
- Bucky's Casino, Prescott, ArizonaPrescott, ArizonaPrescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
Following his death the four Missouri and one Iowa casinos were sold to Herbst Gaming
Herbst Gaming
Affinity Gaming, formerly known as Herbst Gaming, is a casino and slot route operator based in Paradise, Nevada, United States that operates under the name Terrible's...
for $287 million. The Woodlands has subsequently closed. Money from these and other business activities are now used by the W.M. Grace Foundation.