CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES TELL US YOUR STORY! SHARE YOUR PERSONAL MILESTONES AND PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH THE LIU COMMUNITY Visit liu.edu/alumni/submit to send your story.
1950s NICHOLAS PILEGGI, ’56, is a renowned journalist, author and screenwriter. Pileggi co-authored the screenplays for iconic mob films Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995), which celebrated their 30-year and 25-year anniversaries in 2020. More recently, he served as an executive producer for The Irishman (2019), which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture.
1960s DR. JOE MACHNIK, ’64, longtime FIFA match commissioner, is the soccer rules analyst for FOX Sports international soccer broadcasting. Dr. Machnik is also the founder and president of No. 1 Soccer Camps, which has trained over 100,000 players across the country over the last 44 years. In 2017, U.S. Soccer inducted Machnik into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as a “Builder” for his contributions to the game. DR. STAN PELOFSKY, ’62, is a five-star neurosurgeon in Oklahoma City with 54 years of experience. He served as a physician in the Vietnam War and was also awarded the Ellis Island Medal for his work in the neurosciences. Dr. Pelofsky holds memberships in many medical associations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, serving as its president 2001-2002, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Oklahoma State Medical Association, the Oklahoma Neurological
Dr. Stan Pelofsky
Society, the Oklahoma City Surgical Society, the American College of Surgeons, the Royal Society of Medicine, London, England, and the North American Spine Society. JUDITH HEUMANN, ’69, an internationally recognized leader in the disability community, published her first book, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist. The book received praise from global icons, including Sheryl Sandberg and Hilary Clinton. Heumann served as special advisor for international disability rights at the U.S. Department of State from 2010-2017.
1970s IRENE NATIVIDAD, ’71, is president of the Global Summit of Women. Natividad was the first Asian American woman to lead a national political organization in the United States as chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus. She also served as chair of the Coalition for Women’s Appointments for the presidential administrations of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. JORGE PÉREZ, ’72, founder and chief executive officer of Related Group, made South Florida Business Journal’s prestigious list of Ultimate CEO’s for 2020. Pérez also ranked on Forbes Billionaires 2020 list. Nicknamed the “Condo King,” Dr. Joe Machnik
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LIUMAGAZINE | Fall 2020
