Danny was honored postumously in February by the Fine Arts Department at UNLV, where his children,

Amy and Andrew accepted the award for Danny’s induction into UNLV’s Artist Hall of Fame. The following are exerpts of the article published in the Las Vegas Sun.

Gans clan wows at Hall of Fame event

” This year the Nevada Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame moved from Ham Hall to the UNLV Student Union ballroom. It’s was a wise move, given that the audience in past years rattled around cavernous Ham Hall, and those attending had little chance to interact (unless you count tweeting from your seat).

This event, attended by about 250 guests, has become a highlight of the year’s event calendar, mostly for its appeal to people who actually live in Las Vegas. Seated at my table were eight individuals, four of whom were Las Vegas natives — and had never met. You’d think that, at some point, Las Vegas News Bureau Curator and Liberace Foundation board member Brian Paco Alvarez would have been introduced to KSNV Channel 3 entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs. But not until Thursday’s program.

Honored were the late Danny Gans, the brilliant interior designer Roger Thomas, Rainbow Company Youth Theatre and architect Thomas J. Schoeman (who was awarded the first Dean’s Medal for his contributions to the university). A tribute film montage for Tony Curtis, who died in September, also was played for the audience.

Gans’ award was accepted by his son Andrew and daughter Amy. After a recorded tribute to the celebrated comic/impressionist was played on the room’s video panels, Andrew stepped to the mic, his voice halting, and said, “They always show the video before (the speech).” Andrew Gans is 21 years old and stands about 6-foot-3. Hawaiian to English . As College of Fine Arts Dean Jeffrey Koep said, in reference to Danny Gans’ baseball career, “Andrew looks like a baseball player.” A pitcher, likely. The younger Gans also looks like he can dunk a basketball in street clothes.

I’d not met any of the Gans children until Thursday, and Andrew’s strong handshake and fast smile reminded me so much of his father. UNLV’s decision to honor Gans and invite his family to the event was absolutely the right call.”

To read the entire article, click here to visit The Las Vegas Sun.