WAY, APRIL 7, 1976 Maim t A NYTinie APR 7 1976 The New York Times/Star Slack Hughes helicOpters were displayed earlier this year at Helicopter Association of America show in Tucson, Ariz. Smell Staff Runs Hughes s Summa Corp. 1337 ROBERT LINDSEY Special to The New. Task Times LOS ANGELES; April 6— The death of Howard R.. Hughes has left a vacuum of ownership and an abundance of mysteries about the future of an economic empire be- lieved to be worth at least $1.5 billion and whoe inter- ests range across a broad The ;log and symbol of Hughes Air West spectrum of American busi- stockholder of Summa," he trolled at his death—Hughes by Mr. Hughes to the Howard ness. Hughes Medical Institute in Mr. Hughes was the sale said. "But he was not a direc- Air West, a regional airline tor or officer." that operates in eight West- Miami in 1954. He was the stockholder of the Summa sole trustee of the institute. Corporation, an umbrella Routine operations, he said, em states, Canada and Mexi- holding company operated on have been directed by three co; and Hughes Helicopters, Hughes Tool of Houston, a day-to-day basis by a' small company officers in Las Ve- a division of Summa, which a manufacturer of oil drilling staff in an obscure three-sto- gas, aided by a management is one of the nation's largest equipment, and the founda- ry building in Las Vegas, team of about 30,• and they producers of military and ci- tion of the Hughes fortune, and controlled from wherev- would continue operating vilian helicopters. because of its ownership of important oil drill patents, er Mr. Hughes, master strate- their properties as before. The two other companies gist of the empire, happened, was sold by Mr. Hughes to The officers are Frank Wil- that bear his name are the the public in 1972 and is to be. liam Gay, executive vice Hughes Aircraft Corporation now a publicly `held corpora- Arlo Sederberg, a spokes- president; Nadine Henley, se- of Culver City, Calif., which tion. man here for Summa, told nior vice president, and shares plant property with In 1972, the billionaire reporters today that Mr. Chester Davis, general 'coun- the helicopter company, and Hughes's death yesterday sel.AL "It will be business the Hughes Tool Company. consolidated his remaining holdings under the Summa; should have no immediate as usual," Mr. Sederberg The ownership of Hughes effect on day-to-day opera- said. umbrella. Because it is pri- Aircraft, a major producer vately held, no one outside -,'tions of the coinpanybecause There are four,major of space satellites, military mgenerally- took no Sr the organization knows how s that bear vngill4s pfnd electronic gear, its holdings are worth, mthe.routine dper+ons X$1 name, onl wo mbilitmat aircraftiiA' the pres- much ''''I'Mr.Hughes was the fidl is he owned and ,con- 'erg etni Whe` transfeited Continued on Page 58, Column 1 Continued From Page 49 taways hotel.-,asinos in Las mining facility in central Vegas; the Silver Slipper, a Nevada. or how much revenue they Las Vegas casino; and Ha- Xanadu Hotel and other properties in the Baha- generate. rolds' Club in Reno. Only one property, Hughes mas. (1Hughes Aviation Services Extensive real estate in Airwest, issues any finan- and Hughes Executive Air Southern California, includ- cial reports, and it is required Terminal sf McCarren Air- ing a vast area of valuable, to do so because it is regulat- port in Las '.'a^?s, and the undeveloped beachfront prop- ed by the Civil Aeronautics North Las. Ver.as Airport, erty. Board. At Mr. Hughes's which is used principally for (Theta Cable, a cable tele- death, Summa owned 78 per- private fi vision company owned joint- cent of the stock of the air- tiStation KLAS-TV. the ly with the Teleprompter line, and he personally held Columbia Broadcasting Sys- ly with the Teleprompter Cor- 22 percent. Since he solely tem Broadcasting television poration, and a New York- owned Summa, he held all affiliate in `Las Vegas. based television program of the stock in the company. gLarge land holdings in packager, Hughes Television. Last year, the airline said the Las Vegas area, includ- The Summa Corporation it had revenues of $169.5 ing valuable real estate on directly employs about 12,000 million and earnings of $1.7 the casino-lined Las Vegas pople, Mr. Sederberg said. "Strip," and approximately There are about 6,000 em- In addition to the airline 30,000 acres of Nevada desert ployed in Nevada, where it and helicopter plant, Sum- lands referred to as the is the state's largest private ma's major holdings are as "Husite" property. employer; 2,000 at the heli- follows: flA gold-mining operation copter plant near here, and 411The Sands, Desert Inn, in Manhattan, Nev., and a 4,000 employed by the air- Frontier, Landmark and Cas- 1,200-acre silver and gold line. .