Charlie Holland was born in Blue Island, a suburb in the southwest part of Chicago, Illinois on August 1, 1932. His parent, both dead, were Irish Catholics. Charlie, the oldest of 4 brothers, graduated from high school in 1950 and attended a local trade school for a year.

During that time, he worked nights as an orderly at the Layola Hospital. In 1952, he joined the army, hoping to get GI benefits after discharge. He spent 3 years in Korea as a medic. When he returned to Chicago, after he was discharged in 1955, he enrolled in school but was restless.

An Army buddy wrote to him from Nevada inviting him to visit. Charlie came to Reno in 1956, liked the town and decided to stay, after six months, he joined the Reno PD.

For the first five years, until 1961, he lived at the Zanzabar, a residential hotel on the east side of town, saved his money, and gambled three nights a week playing 21. By 1961 he had saved enough money to buy ten acres east of Reno on Hwy 80 going toward Ely. He moved a two bedroom trailer onto the property and drilled a well.

In 1964 he married Helen Alston, a 21 dealer at the Palace. After the marriage, Charlie hired an architect to draw plans for a house which he never built. The marriage lasted 4 years; they divorced in 1968. Helen moved to Las Vegas.

After the divorce, Charlie bought a Black Labrador hunting dog and named her Loving. Charlie retired from the Reno PD in 1976, under mysterious circumstances and got a part time security job at the Prima Donna. He requests the graveyard shift, patrols the catwalk above the gaming tables, and watches the 21 table monitors.

Charlie drives a dark green 1958 Apache Chevrolet Truck, restored. (In 1958, Chevrolet produced 170 Apaches. They were chromed out and were the first trucks with wrap around rear windows.)

While Charlie was in Korea, he smoked dope, listened to rhythm and blues, played cards, and killed. He no longer smokes dope, but he still listens to rhythm and blues and has become an expert on all of the cons involving cards, especially those concerning 21. He doesn't talk much about the killing.