2024 Hall of Fame

TIM HINKLEY - INDUSTRY PIONEER

Aug. 1, 1992: It’s the date the Isle of Capri opened in Biloxi and started the casino boom in Mississippi. Tim Hinkley was on the water as part of the team that opened the property. The success enjoyed by the Isle from Day One didn’t go unnoticed. The rush was officially on to build and open casinos in Mississippi.

As vice president of operations for Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. then, Hinkley’s career took off much like casino gaming did in the Magnolia State. He held the vice president of operations position from 1990 to 1996 at the Isle before rising to senior vice president in 1997 and president and COO in 2003, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.

At the time of his retirement, the late Bernard Goldstein, Isle of Capri Casinos’ chairman and chief executive, said, “We are tremendously grateful for Tim’s visionary leadership and unparalleled contribution to our growth over the past 17 years. Tim has successfully led our company through a period of significant evolution and development, fostering our unique culture and spearheading the next generation of the Isle brand. Tim did an unbelievable job leading the company through the hurricanes of 2005, and reopening our properties in record time. He brought hope and encouragement to everyone affected by the storms. From his initial role as general manager at our first casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, to serving as president and COO, he has positioned the company for the future…”

Before joining with Goldstein, known as the “Father of Modern Riverboat Gambling,” to open the Isle, Hinkley was already on the water working for Star Line River Cruises. He worked for Star Line from 1985 to 1990 as director of operations and was responsible for nine ships in seven ports. Before that, he worked for Stouffer’s Restaurants. Since retiring, Hinkley moved to Michigan and has kept busy by serving as the executive director of the National Cherry Festival from 2008 to 2011 in Traverse City, which is a hotspot for cherry growers and is known as the “Cherry Capital of the World.”

Like the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Michigan is special to Hinkley. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1978 with a BA from the School of Hospitality. While in Mississippi, Hinkley was involved in the community too, working with numerous charities on the Coast and helping start the Leadership Gulf Coast program through the Mississippi Chamber of Commerce. His work in the community netted him the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce’s Pat Santucci Spirit of the Coast Award, which is given to a person who has made outstanding and enduring contributions to South Mississippi. Hinkley and his wife, Dawn, will celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary in September. They have two daughters and three granddaughters.

JON LUCAS - INDUSTRY INFLUENCER

When Jon Lucas arrived as the new general manager of Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino Biloxi in July 2005, he couldn’t have imagined what was about to unfold. Hurricane Katrina would make landfall the following month and change the Mississippi Gulf Coast forever.

The devastation from the catastrophic storm was unimaginable. The future for everyone on the Coast was uncertain, even frightening. Yet, remarkably, in December 2005, less than four months after Katrina hit, the casino reopened as a rebranded IP Hotel & Casino. Lucas rose to meet the moment and in doing so, he made a lasting impression on deeply affected residents along the Gulf Coast.

Unquestionably, the casino that is now IP Casino Resort Spa played a significant role in aiding the Gulf Coast community after Hurricane Katrina struck. Despite the casino sustaining considerable storm damage itself, IP quickly mobilized to get property reopened. The Imperial Palace used the nearly four months after Katrina struck to not just repair damage, but to expand, adding more slots, table games and a poker room, along with new restaurants and an updated look.

As work on the property was underway, the casino hotel housed recovery workers. A temporary human resources office was also set up in what had been a waiting area outside the casino’s movie theaters to hire casino workers.

As the region worked to recover, IP Casino provided employment opportunities for locals by reopening its doors and resuming operations as soon as it was safe to do so, injecting much-needed economic activity into the area. IP Casino demonstrated an impressive spirit of resilience and solidarity in the face of adversity.

Lucas served as IP’s general manager until 2011 and continued to make his mark, assembling a dedicated team that turned IP Casino into a market leader. His focus on excellence, customer service and providing the highest quality in food, entertainment and amenities elevated the property.

Prior to coming to the Gulf Coast, Lucas spent four years overseeing three properties in Tunica for what is now Caesars Entertainment. Lucas currently oversees Hard Rock International’s portfolio of 13 casinos, 34 hotels, 238 cafes and Rock Shops worldwide. The iconic, award-winning hospitality and entertainment brand has grown from one Hard Rock Cafe in London to a global, multi-billion-dollar company. With a career spanning more than 40 years in the hospitality and gaming industry, Lucas frequently represents Hard Rock International in numerous hotel and casino presentations with government officials and at high profile joint venture partnership presentations.

Lucas is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was educated at the University of Tennessee. He is married to Michelle, and has three children, two grandchildren, and two step-children.

WILLIAM “BILL” GRESHAM JR. - INDUSTRY REGULATORY/GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL

William “Bill” Gresham Jr. was the first chairman of the Mississippi Gaming Commission and one of the original three members. He served from 1993 through 2001. While serving as chairman, the Mississippi Gaming Commission played a pivotal role in steering the state’s gaming industry toward remarkable success. In its early years, the Commission implemented a comprehensive regulatory framework that balanced the interests of stakeholders while prioritizing integrity and fairness. Through meticulous oversight and stringent enforcement of gaming laws, the Commission ensured that the industry operated with transparency and accountability, fostering trust among both investors and patrons.

Gresham set a personal standard of fairness, excellence and consistency in all areas of his life. He passed away in 2010, leaving a legacy of accomplishment in Mississippi and beyond. He attended Millsaps College and Tulane University as part of the 1940’s V12 Navy College Training Program and served his country as a member of the United States Navy during World War II. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1948.

Gresham would become a member of the Naval Reserve and transfer to the Mississippi National Guard in 1950. He became a second lieutenant in the 31st Infantry “Dixie” Division and in 1951 was called to active duty during the Korean Conflict. He retired as a brigadier general from the National Guard and in 1980, the Mississippi Army National Guard promoted him to major general. Gresham was a lifetime member of both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as an executive board member and president of the 31st Infantry “Dixie” Division Society.

Gen. Gresham was a leader not only in the military, but also in business, the community and in civic affairs. When active in business, he was president of Gresham Petroleum Company and Gresham Service Stations, and a board member of Double Quick, Inc. and Delta Terminal, Inc. He served as a chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council and on the Board of the Trustees of Mississippi College.

Gresham also served as a member of the Mississippi Ethics Commission, president of the Indianola Rotary Club, president of the Indianola Country Club and was a founding member of The Delta Wildlife Association.

He was director of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, a board member of the University of Mississippi Foundation and was inducted into the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame. Early accomplishments include being named valedictorian at Indianola High School, an Eagle Scout, and becoming a member of the Chickasaw Council Boy Scouts of America. Gresham was awarded the “Citizen of the Year” in his hometown by the Indianola Chamber of Commerce in 1998.

Married to the late Ann Hopkins of Gulfport, Mississippi, the couple had four children, 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

THOMAS “TOM” GRESHAM - INDUSTRY REGULATORY/GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL

Thomas “Tom” Gresham served as commissioner of the Mississippi Gaming Commission from 2015 through 2023. The younger Gresham served with great distinction, following the same standards set by his father before him. The Commission continued to build on the original foundation under his leadership by upholding the high standards originally put in place. With 16 years of combined service to the Mississippi Gaming Commission, the role he and his father played in ensuring gaming’s success here cannot be overstated.

Tom and the Gresham family are well known throughout Mississippi for their leadership and support, being actively involved in the community, and establishing numerous scholarships at various universities and colleges throughout the state.

Like his father, Gresham has enjoyed success in business. He is the secretary/treasurer of Gresham Petroleum Co., treasurer of Delta Terminal Inc. and past president and CEO of Double Quick, Inc. In April 2022, Gresham and his business partner sold Double Quick to Refuel Operating Company of Charleston, South Carolina. The sale included 50 convenience stores, one liquor store, 12 Church’s Chicken restaurants and two Krystal’s with locations in northwest Mississippi and eastern Arkansas. At the time of the sale, Gresham said the business had 1,200 team members and Refuel hired every employee down to the administrative assistant.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University and Indianola Academy, Gresham has served on the Mississippi State Board of Community Colleges as well as boards of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi and the Mississippi Center for Education Innovation. He is past president of the Delta Council, the Society of Independent Gas Marketers of America (SIGMA), the Mississippi Association of Convenience Stores, the Indianola Educational Foundation Inc., the Indianola Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), the Mid-Delta Arts Council and the Church’s Chicken Franchise Board.

He is also past chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council and co-chair of the Indianola Promise Community. Like his father, Gresham was also an Eagle Scout. A former member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Indianola, he is currently a member of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas. Gresham is a licensed Lay Reader and Lay Eucharistic Minister in Episcopal Dioceses of Mississippi and Colorado. He and wife, Louise, have three children and six grandchildren.