In addition to Mr. Szczublewski’s service in the U.S. Air Force, he was in service to the reclusive, eccentric billionaire, Howard Hughes, to make sure he didn’t get trapped in an elevator.

In the late 1960s, Howard Hughes bought several casinos in Las Vegas. He had moved there in 1965 and took over the seventh and eighth floors of the Desert Inn. After five months, the casino owners wanted to thro…