Tibor Rudas(1920-2014)

In 1981, he decided he wanted to bring opera to Atlantic City and began trying to sign Luciano Pavarotti. According to Pavarotti's 1995 memoir, Rudas offered the tenor $100,000, but he turned it down because he was opposed to singing in a gambling venue. He eventually changed his mind, and his concert was so successful that Rudas became a full-time promoter of Pavarotti.