Nugget co-owner Mae Adams, 97, dies

Mae Adams, 97, of Boise died Oct. 23 at her home of natural causes.

Mae and Hop Adams represented the Idaho half of the Carson Nugget's ownership. The Nevada half was owned by Hop's brother Howard until his death, when it went to his nephew Alan Adams of Carson City, who is president of the Nugget.

Hop Adams died in 2003 in Boise at the age of 92.

Nugget Vice President Steve Neighbors was hired by Mae Adams to use her half of the holdings to benefit Carson City through the Hop and Mae Adams Trust Fund, Neighbors said.

Even though the couple lived in Idaho, Neighbors said, "the Nugget was their life from the mid 1950s to the early 1990s. It was kind of their focus."

Neighbors said Mae Adams had given him specific direction.

"Her dictate to me was to clean up and drive the Nugget and other resources. The foundation's goal is to help and give back to Carson City because she always felt they had tighter ties to Carson City than Boise," Neighbors said.

He would say only that the amount of the trust was "substantial."

While money had been lost at one point, "she really went through some painful times over the past year" to correct what she felt was a wrong use of their resources and assets.

"She fought to get it back, and Carson City will feel the impact if this community is able to leverage this. She liked the idea of a library and creating jobs. She was never someone to just give money away," he said.

Neighbors will attend the Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday where the Carson City Office of Business Development will present the Nugget's vision for possible use of eight acres of vacant property.

"This is just a small cog in the overall machinery which could provide long-term positive value to Carson City," he said.