A. Jake "Jake" Mladinich II (1926-2014), age 88 years, of Biloxi, Mississippi passed away on Thursday, December 18, 2014 in Biloxi.
A. Jake "Jake" Mladinich II, was born on May 28, 1926 in Biloxi, Mississippi. His parents, A. Jake Mladinich, Sr. and Mary Mladinich, provide a classic example of immigrants who lived out the American Dream. They were Slavic immigrants who came to Biloxi in the late 19th century to work in the seafood industry. With hard work and the help of relatives they eventually acquired waterfront property and built a successful and well-known complex of tourist-related family businesses on the beach in an area that is now in west Biloxi.
Jake worked in the family businesses and eventually inherited in 1987, a segment of his parents properties, including the Fiesta entertainment complex, the Cabana Beach apartments and the Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant.
Jake's many civic memberships and titles included Past President and current member of the Slavic Benevolent Association, Past President of the MS Gulf Coast Hotel Association, MS Gulf Coast Restaurant Association and MS Gulf Coast Motel Association; Past Commissioner of the Biloxi Port Commission and the Point Cadet Development Commission (PCDC-Waterfront Master Plan); Past Board of Directors of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce; Past Vice-President and current member of the Biloxi Businessmen's Club; current member of Main Street Biloxi, Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce, B.P.O. Elks, Chapter #606 and Biloxi Yacht Club.
Jake owned many businesses which included The Flame Restaurant in Gulfport, The Party Store, the Hot-Stop Restaurant, Peppermint Lounge, The Nineteenth Hole, Fiesta at the Fiesta Complex, the Sports Page Lounge, Cabana Beach Motel and Apartments, Fiesta Gift Shoppe, Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant, White Pillars Gourmet Restaurant, Le Chateau Apartments, Traders Lounge, Rodenberg Properties, LLC, Fiesta, Inc. and Orleans, Inc. all in Biloxi.
Jake is preceded in death by his parents. His survivors include his wife of 57 years, June Stojcich Mladinich; his children, Mary Kathleen Mladinich Spain, Andrew Jake Mladinich, III, Andra June Mladinich, April Mladinich Fairley and Tania Mladinich (William) Buchanan; his grandchildren, David Andrew Spain, Kathleen June Miller, Damien Alexander Spain, Dennis Anthony Spain, Andrew Jake (Katie) Mladinich, IV, Richard Anthony Mladinich, Jeffrey Randall (Heather) Fairley, II, Charlotte Renee Fairley (Eric) Martin, Amy Darlene Fairley, June Pierce Shivers, William Buchanan, V, Gavin Buchanan and Liam Buchanan; his great-grandchildren, Aubree Jade Mladinich, Rowan Christopher Fairley, Kaitlyn Shivers and Morgan Shivers.
The family wishes to thank the aides, Georgette Durand, Harriet Picard, Kristin Trytten, Teresa Bilbo, Leslie Johns, Katina Barnes and Lisa Redmond as well as his nurses from Notre Dame Hospice, Hayden Huffman and Paul Cook, for taking such wonderful care of Jake.
Visitation will be held on Monday, December 22, 2014 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm with funeral services on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 11:00 am, where friends may visit from 10:00 am until service time, all at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home.
______________________________________________________
A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history
BILOXI -- A. Jake Mladinich II lived his life in Biloxi and brought the world to him.
The businessman and Biloxi native died Thursday at age 88 and his funeral will be Tuesday.
His legend in Biloxi spanned the decades. Before Robert Mitchum became a movie star, he was hitch-hiking along U.S. 90 in Biloxi and Mladinich gave him a ride.
The two hit it off, according to an account in the Sun Herald. "The future movie star was just tooling around the country, but decided to stop off to spend a week at Mladinich's nightclub and casino in Biloxi," the article said. Mitchum returned to The Fiesta and Biloxi many times after he became famous.
"It was a hopping joint, where straw hats were passed out at the door," the article said. The Fiesta opened in 1950 and was razed in 1993 to make way for Treasure Bay Casino.
Singer and writer Jimmy Buffett often told how his first professional gig was at Trader John's, another business owned by Mladinich. Buffett invited Mladinich to the opening of Margaritaville Casino Biloxi as his honored guest in 2012.
An over-achiever even in high school, Mladinich played football, baseball and basketball and was on the track and boxing teams. He also liked to golf.
His first job in tourism was working at the officers' club at Keesler Field during World War II. Mladinich later said he traveled the country in government planes auditioning talent.
"Jake was very active in the community, especially in tourism promotion," said Gerald Blessey, attorney for the family. Mladinich helped revive Biloxi's tourism industry after Hurricane Camille and served on the Biloxi Port Commission when the Point Cadet Marina project started.
Mladinich started in the restaurant business with two drive-in po-boy restaurants: the Flame Drive-in at Gulfport and the Hot Stop in Biloxi. He added Sea-N-Sirloin Restaurant, known for its immense seafood platters, Party Store Wine Cellar and Sports Page lounge, along with Cabana Beach Motel and apartments.
Most notably, he adapted to the changing times and ran the nightclub as a '50s spot, a ballroom dance hall, a Latin hot spot, a go-go dance joint, a disco and a country music spot, according to the Sun Herald archives.
He also was ahead of his time. When he brought the band "Struttin'" to the Fiesta, the black and white performers created a controversy. "People were hollering and screaming, but I didn't pay any attention to it," he told the Sun Herald.
In the 1970s, he was one of 70 Mississippians invited to the White House to confer with President Jimmy Carter.
"In the 1980s, I knew Mr. Mladinich as a successful, imposing and intriguing character when he owned the Fiesta Lounge on the beach," said Biloxi Council President Kenny Glavan. "Later, we became true friends and he shared stories of his life and tourism experiences that are unforgettable."
Glavan recalled Mladinich coming back to the club in his pajamas to break up a fight and said, "He had a stainless steel backbone. He would not back down to anybody. The Croatian Nation has lost a fierce Biloxian and we will give our love and support to the Mladinich family during this difficult time."
He was married to the former June Stojcich and they had five children.
More memories will be shared with family and friends during visitation Monday from 6-8 p.m. and one hour before the 11 a.m. service Tuesday. All services are at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home on Howard Avenue in Biloxi.
REFERENCES:
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history", December 20, 2014.
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II", December 21, 2014.
A. Jake "Jake" Mladinich II, was born on May 28, 1926 in Biloxi, Mississippi. His parents, A. Jake Mladinich, Sr. and Mary Mladinich, provide a classic example of immigrants who lived out the American Dream. They were Slavic immigrants who came to Biloxi in the late 19th century to work in the seafood industry. With hard work and the help of relatives they eventually acquired waterfront property and built a successful and well-known complex of tourist-related family businesses on the beach in an area that is now in west Biloxi.
Jake worked in the family businesses and eventually inherited in 1987, a segment of his parents properties, including the Fiesta entertainment complex, the Cabana Beach apartments and the Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant.
Jake's many civic memberships and titles included Past President and current member of the Slavic Benevolent Association, Past President of the MS Gulf Coast Hotel Association, MS Gulf Coast Restaurant Association and MS Gulf Coast Motel Association; Past Commissioner of the Biloxi Port Commission and the Point Cadet Development Commission (PCDC-Waterfront Master Plan); Past Board of Directors of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce; Past Vice-President and current member of the Biloxi Businessmen's Club; current member of Main Street Biloxi, Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce, B.P.O. Elks, Chapter #606 and Biloxi Yacht Club.
Jake owned many businesses which included The Flame Restaurant in Gulfport, The Party Store, the Hot-Stop Restaurant, Peppermint Lounge, The Nineteenth Hole, Fiesta at the Fiesta Complex, the Sports Page Lounge, Cabana Beach Motel and Apartments, Fiesta Gift Shoppe, Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant, White Pillars Gourmet Restaurant, Le Chateau Apartments, Traders Lounge, Rodenberg Properties, LLC, Fiesta, Inc. and Orleans, Inc. all in Biloxi.
Jake is preceded in death by his parents. His survivors include his wife of 57 years, June Stojcich Mladinich; his children, Mary Kathleen Mladinich Spain, Andrew Jake Mladinich, III, Andra June Mladinich, April Mladinich Fairley and Tania Mladinich (William) Buchanan; his grandchildren, David Andrew Spain, Kathleen June Miller, Damien Alexander Spain, Dennis Anthony Spain, Andrew Jake (Katie) Mladinich, IV, Richard Anthony Mladinich, Jeffrey Randall (Heather) Fairley, II, Charlotte Renee Fairley (Eric) Martin, Amy Darlene Fairley, June Pierce Shivers, William Buchanan, V, Gavin Buchanan and Liam Buchanan; his great-grandchildren, Aubree Jade Mladinich, Rowan Christopher Fairley, Kaitlyn Shivers and Morgan Shivers.
The family wishes to thank the aides, Georgette Durand, Harriet Picard, Kristin Trytten, Teresa Bilbo, Leslie Johns, Katina Barnes and Lisa Redmond as well as his nurses from Notre Dame Hospice, Hayden Huffman and Paul Cook, for taking such wonderful care of Jake.
Visitation will be held on Monday, December 22, 2014 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm with funeral services on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 11:00 am, where friends may visit from 10:00 am until service time, all at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home.
______________________________________________________
A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history
BILOXI -- A. Jake Mladinich II lived his life in Biloxi and brought the world to him.
The businessman and Biloxi native died Thursday at age 88 and his funeral will be Tuesday.
His legend in Biloxi spanned the decades. Before Robert Mitchum became a movie star, he was hitch-hiking along U.S. 90 in Biloxi and Mladinich gave him a ride.
The two hit it off, according to an account in the Sun Herald. "The future movie star was just tooling around the country, but decided to stop off to spend a week at Mladinich's nightclub and casino in Biloxi," the article said. Mitchum returned to The Fiesta and Biloxi many times after he became famous.
"It was a hopping joint, where straw hats were passed out at the door," the article said. The Fiesta opened in 1950 and was razed in 1993 to make way for Treasure Bay Casino.
Singer and writer Jimmy Buffett often told how his first professional gig was at Trader John's, another business owned by Mladinich. Buffett invited Mladinich to the opening of Margaritaville Casino Biloxi as his honored guest in 2012.
An over-achiever even in high school, Mladinich played football, baseball and basketball and was on the track and boxing teams. He also liked to golf.
His first job in tourism was working at the officers' club at Keesler Field during World War II. Mladinich later said he traveled the country in government planes auditioning talent.
"Jake was very active in the community, especially in tourism promotion," said Gerald Blessey, attorney for the family. Mladinich helped revive Biloxi's tourism industry after Hurricane Camille and served on the Biloxi Port Commission when the Point Cadet Marina project started.
Mladinich started in the restaurant business with two drive-in po-boy restaurants: the Flame Drive-in at Gulfport and the Hot Stop in Biloxi. He added Sea-N-Sirloin Restaurant, known for its immense seafood platters, Party Store Wine Cellar and Sports Page lounge, along with Cabana Beach Motel and apartments.
Most notably, he adapted to the changing times and ran the nightclub as a '50s spot, a ballroom dance hall, a Latin hot spot, a go-go dance joint, a disco and a country music spot, according to the Sun Herald archives.
He also was ahead of his time. When he brought the band "Struttin'" to the Fiesta, the black and white performers created a controversy. "People were hollering and screaming, but I didn't pay any attention to it," he told the Sun Herald.
In the 1970s, he was one of 70 Mississippians invited to the White House to confer with President Jimmy Carter.
"In the 1980s, I knew Mr. Mladinich as a successful, imposing and intriguing character when he owned the Fiesta Lounge on the beach," said Biloxi Council President Kenny Glavan. "Later, we became true friends and he shared stories of his life and tourism experiences that are unforgettable."
Glavan recalled Mladinich coming back to the club in his pajamas to break up a fight and said, "He had a stainless steel backbone. He would not back down to anybody. The Croatian Nation has lost a fierce Biloxian and we will give our love and support to the Mladinich family during this difficult time."
He was married to the former June Stojcich and they had five children.
More memories will be shared with family and friends during visitation Monday from 6-8 p.m. and one hour before the 11 a.m. service Tuesday. All services are at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home on Howard Avenue in Biloxi.
REFERENCES:
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history", December 20, 2014.
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II", December 21, 2014.
A. Jake "Jake" Mladinich II (1926-2014), age 88 years, of Biloxi, Mississippi passed away on Thursday, December 18, 2014 in Biloxi.
A. Jake "Jake" Mladinich II, was born on May 28, 1926 in Biloxi, Mississippi. His parents, A. Jake Mladinich, Sr. and Mary Mladinich, provide a classic example of immigrants who lived out the American Dream. They were Slavic immigrants who came to Biloxi in the late 19th century to work in the seafood industry. With hard work and the help of relatives they eventually acquired waterfront property and built a successful and well-known complex of tourist-related family businesses on the beach in an area that is now in west Biloxi.
Jake worked in the family businesses and eventually inherited in 1987, a segment of his parents properties, including the Fiesta entertainment complex, the Cabana Beach apartments and the Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant.
Jake's many civic memberships and titles included Past President and current member of the Slavic Benevolent Association, Past President of the MS Gulf Coast Hotel Association, MS Gulf Coast Restaurant Association and MS Gulf Coast Motel Association; Past Commissioner of the Biloxi Port Commission and the Point Cadet Development Commission (PCDC-Waterfront Master Plan); Past Board of Directors of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce; Past Vice-President and current member of the Biloxi Businessmen's Club; current member of Main Street Biloxi, Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce, B.P.O. Elks, Chapter #606 and Biloxi Yacht Club.
Jake owned many businesses which included The Flame Restaurant in Gulfport, The Party Store, the Hot-Stop Restaurant, Peppermint Lounge, The Nineteenth Hole, Fiesta at the Fiesta Complex, the Sports Page Lounge, Cabana Beach Motel and Apartments, Fiesta Gift Shoppe, Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant, White Pillars Gourmet Restaurant, Le Chateau Apartments, Traders Lounge, Rodenberg Properties, LLC, Fiesta, Inc. and Orleans, Inc. all in Biloxi.
Jake is preceded in death by his parents. His survivors include his wife of 57 years, June Stojcich Mladinich; his children, Mary Kathleen Mladinich Spain, Andrew Jake Mladinich, III, Andra June Mladinich, April Mladinich Fairley and Tania Mladinich (William) Buchanan; his grandchildren, David Andrew Spain, Kathleen June Miller, Damien Alexander Spain, Dennis Anthony Spain, Andrew Jake (Katie) Mladinich, IV, Richard Anthony Mladinich, Jeffrey Randall (Heather) Fairley, II, Charlotte Renee Fairley (Eric) Martin, Amy Darlene Fairley, June Pierce Shivers, William Buchanan, V, Gavin Buchanan and Liam Buchanan; his great-grandchildren, Aubree Jade Mladinich, Rowan Christopher Fairley, Kaitlyn Shivers and Morgan Shivers.
The family wishes to thank the aides, Georgette Durand, Harriet Picard, Kristin Trytten, Teresa Bilbo, Leslie Johns, Katina Barnes and Lisa Redmond as well as his nurses from Notre Dame Hospice, Hayden Huffman and Paul Cook, for taking such wonderful care of Jake.
Visitation will be held on Monday, December 22, 2014 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm with funeral services on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 11:00 am, where friends may visit from 10:00 am until service time, all at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home.
______________________________________________________
A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history
BILOXI -- A. Jake Mladinich II lived his life in Biloxi and brought the world to him.
The businessman and Biloxi native died Thursday at age 88 and his funeral will be Tuesday.
His legend in Biloxi spanned the decades. Before Robert Mitchum became a movie star, he was hitch-hiking along U.S. 90 in Biloxi and Mladinich gave him a ride.
The two hit it off, according to an account in the Sun Herald. "The future movie star was just tooling around the country, but decided to stop off to spend a week at Mladinich's nightclub and casino in Biloxi," the article said. Mitchum returned to The Fiesta and Biloxi many times after he became famous.
"It was a hopping joint, where straw hats were passed out at the door," the article said. The Fiesta opened in 1950 and was razed in 1993 to make way for Treasure Bay Casino.
Singer and writer Jimmy Buffett often told how his first professional gig was at Trader John's, another business owned by Mladinich. Buffett invited Mladinich to the opening of Margaritaville Casino Biloxi as his honored guest in 2012.
An over-achiever even in high school, Mladinich played football, baseball and basketball and was on the track and boxing teams. He also liked to golf.
His first job in tourism was working at the officers' club at Keesler Field during World War II. Mladinich later said he traveled the country in government planes auditioning talent.
"Jake was very active in the community, especially in tourism promotion," said Gerald Blessey, attorney for the family. Mladinich helped revive Biloxi's tourism industry after Hurricane Camille and served on the Biloxi Port Commission when the Point Cadet Marina project started.
Mladinich started in the restaurant business with two drive-in po-boy restaurants: the Flame Drive-in at Gulfport and the Hot Stop in Biloxi. He added Sea-N-Sirloin Restaurant, known for its immense seafood platters, Party Store Wine Cellar and Sports Page lounge, along with Cabana Beach Motel and apartments.
Most notably, he adapted to the changing times and ran the nightclub as a '50s spot, a ballroom dance hall, a Latin hot spot, a go-go dance joint, a disco and a country music spot, according to the Sun Herald archives.
He also was ahead of his time. When he brought the band "Struttin'" to the Fiesta, the black and white performers created a controversy. "People were hollering and screaming, but I didn't pay any attention to it," he told the Sun Herald.
In the 1970s, he was one of 70 Mississippians invited to the White House to confer with President Jimmy Carter.
"In the 1980s, I knew Mr. Mladinich as a successful, imposing and intriguing character when he owned the Fiesta Lounge on the beach," said Biloxi Council President Kenny Glavan. "Later, we became true friends and he shared stories of his life and tourism experiences that are unforgettable."
Glavan recalled Mladinich coming back to the club in his pajamas to break up a fight and said, "He had a stainless steel backbone. He would not back down to anybody. The Croatian Nation has lost a fierce Biloxian and we will give our love and support to the Mladinich family during this difficult time."
He was married to the former June Stojcich and they had five children.
More memories will be shared with family and friends during visitation Monday from 6-8 p.m. and one hour before the 11 a.m. service Tuesday. All services are at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home on Howard Avenue in Biloxi.
REFERENCES:
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history", December 20, 2014.
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II", December 21, 2014.
A. Jake "Jake" Mladinich II, was born on May 28, 1926 in Biloxi, Mississippi. His parents, A. Jake Mladinich, Sr. and Mary Mladinich, provide a classic example of immigrants who lived out the American Dream. They were Slavic immigrants who came to Biloxi in the late 19th century to work in the seafood industry. With hard work and the help of relatives they eventually acquired waterfront property and built a successful and well-known complex of tourist-related family businesses on the beach in an area that is now in west Biloxi.
Jake worked in the family businesses and eventually inherited in 1987, a segment of his parents properties, including the Fiesta entertainment complex, the Cabana Beach apartments and the Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant.
Jake's many civic memberships and titles included Past President and current member of the Slavic Benevolent Association, Past President of the MS Gulf Coast Hotel Association, MS Gulf Coast Restaurant Association and MS Gulf Coast Motel Association; Past Commissioner of the Biloxi Port Commission and the Point Cadet Development Commission (PCDC-Waterfront Master Plan); Past Board of Directors of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce; Past Vice-President and current member of the Biloxi Businessmen's Club; current member of Main Street Biloxi, Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce, B.P.O. Elks, Chapter #606 and Biloxi Yacht Club.
Jake owned many businesses which included The Flame Restaurant in Gulfport, The Party Store, the Hot-Stop Restaurant, Peppermint Lounge, The Nineteenth Hole, Fiesta at the Fiesta Complex, the Sports Page Lounge, Cabana Beach Motel and Apartments, Fiesta Gift Shoppe, Sea-n-Sirloin Restaurant, White Pillars Gourmet Restaurant, Le Chateau Apartments, Traders Lounge, Rodenberg Properties, LLC, Fiesta, Inc. and Orleans, Inc. all in Biloxi.
Jake is preceded in death by his parents. His survivors include his wife of 57 years, June Stojcich Mladinich; his children, Mary Kathleen Mladinich Spain, Andrew Jake Mladinich, III, Andra June Mladinich, April Mladinich Fairley and Tania Mladinich (William) Buchanan; his grandchildren, David Andrew Spain, Kathleen June Miller, Damien Alexander Spain, Dennis Anthony Spain, Andrew Jake (Katie) Mladinich, IV, Richard Anthony Mladinich, Jeffrey Randall (Heather) Fairley, II, Charlotte Renee Fairley (Eric) Martin, Amy Darlene Fairley, June Pierce Shivers, William Buchanan, V, Gavin Buchanan and Liam Buchanan; his great-grandchildren, Aubree Jade Mladinich, Rowan Christopher Fairley, Kaitlyn Shivers and Morgan Shivers.
The family wishes to thank the aides, Georgette Durand, Harriet Picard, Kristin Trytten, Teresa Bilbo, Leslie Johns, Katina Barnes and Lisa Redmond as well as his nurses from Notre Dame Hospice, Hayden Huffman and Paul Cook, for taking such wonderful care of Jake.
Visitation will be held on Monday, December 22, 2014 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm with funeral services on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 11:00 am, where friends may visit from 10:00 am until service time, all at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home.
______________________________________________________
A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history
BILOXI -- A. Jake Mladinich II lived his life in Biloxi and brought the world to him.
The businessman and Biloxi native died Thursday at age 88 and his funeral will be Tuesday.
His legend in Biloxi spanned the decades. Before Robert Mitchum became a movie star, he was hitch-hiking along U.S. 90 in Biloxi and Mladinich gave him a ride.
The two hit it off, according to an account in the Sun Herald. "The future movie star was just tooling around the country, but decided to stop off to spend a week at Mladinich's nightclub and casino in Biloxi," the article said. Mitchum returned to The Fiesta and Biloxi many times after he became famous.
"It was a hopping joint, where straw hats were passed out at the door," the article said. The Fiesta opened in 1950 and was razed in 1993 to make way for Treasure Bay Casino.
Singer and writer Jimmy Buffett often told how his first professional gig was at Trader John's, another business owned by Mladinich. Buffett invited Mladinich to the opening of Margaritaville Casino Biloxi as his honored guest in 2012.
An over-achiever even in high school, Mladinich played football, baseball and basketball and was on the track and boxing teams. He also liked to golf.
His first job in tourism was working at the officers' club at Keesler Field during World War II. Mladinich later said he traveled the country in government planes auditioning talent.
"Jake was very active in the community, especially in tourism promotion," said Gerald Blessey, attorney for the family. Mladinich helped revive Biloxi's tourism industry after Hurricane Camille and served on the Biloxi Port Commission when the Point Cadet Marina project started.
Mladinich started in the restaurant business with two drive-in po-boy restaurants: the Flame Drive-in at Gulfport and the Hot Stop in Biloxi. He added Sea-N-Sirloin Restaurant, known for its immense seafood platters, Party Store Wine Cellar and Sports Page lounge, along with Cabana Beach Motel and apartments.
Most notably, he adapted to the changing times and ran the nightclub as a '50s spot, a ballroom dance hall, a Latin hot spot, a go-go dance joint, a disco and a country music spot, according to the Sun Herald archives.
He also was ahead of his time. When he brought the band "Struttin'" to the Fiesta, the black and white performers created a controversy. "People were hollering and screaming, but I didn't pay any attention to it," he told the Sun Herald.
In the 1970s, he was one of 70 Mississippians invited to the White House to confer with President Jimmy Carter.
"In the 1980s, I knew Mr. Mladinich as a successful, imposing and intriguing character when he owned the Fiesta Lounge on the beach," said Biloxi Council President Kenny Glavan. "Later, we became true friends and he shared stories of his life and tourism experiences that are unforgettable."
Glavan recalled Mladinich coming back to the club in his pajamas to break up a fight and said, "He had a stainless steel backbone. He would not back down to anybody. The Croatian Nation has lost a fierce Biloxian and we will give our love and support to the Mladinich family during this difficult time."
He was married to the former June Stojcich and they had five children.
More memories will be shared with family and friends during visitation Monday from 6-8 p.m. and one hour before the 11 a.m. service Tuesday. All services are at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home on Howard Avenue in Biloxi.
REFERENCES:
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II - Mladinich's legend is part of Biloxi's history", December 20, 2014.
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi), "A. Jake Mladinich II", December 21, 2014.
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