Hall of Fame 2001 Inductees

I am Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine and have been here my entire academic career. I am Director of the nationally recognized Pancreatic Center and have been Chief, Division of Gastroenterology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach for 29 years. I have been able to advance medical science by authoring/co-authoring over 300 scientific articles and editing 9 books. I have been visiting professor and lecturer world-wide. The most important activity each day is helping my patients feel better.

My second career was in the United States Army, where I was Major General in charge of medical forces prior to our invasion of Iraq. Our goal was to prevent our armed men and women from harm’s way and provide medical treatment when it became necessary.

As physicians, we must contribute to organized medicine and I have been fortunate to serve as President of the American College of Gastroenterology, Bockus International Society of Gastroenterology and the Florida Gastroenterological Society. I served as Governor for Florida of the American College of Physicians, and was on the Board of Trustees.

Eugene John Fierro, American Judge. Bar: Florida 1967, United States District Court (southern district) Florida 1968, United States Court of Appeals (11th circuit) 1968, Supreme Court of the United States Court 1972.

Fierro was born on September 3, 1941 in New York City. Son of Henry George and Carmel (Caputo) Fierro. Bachelor of Education, U. Miami, 1962; Juris Doctor, U. Miami, 1967.

Teacher, Dade County Board of Public Insurance, Miami, Florida, 1962-1967; associate, Wicker, Smith, Pysqka, Blomquist & Davant, Miami, 1967-1968; private practice law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1968-1990; judge, Circuit Court (11th circuit), Miami, Florida, since 1991; associate administrative judge, Circuit Court (11th circuit), Miami, Florida, 1993-1997. Administrator Dade County Pro Bono Plan. Assistant coach Howard Palmetto Khoury League, Miami, 1982. Member Coral Gables Bar Association (president 1988-1989, editor newsletter 1987-1988, bar directory 1987, 88, Man of Year award 1989), Dade County Bar Association (chairman professional arbitration 1987, 88, certified of merit 1979, 80, 88, board directors since 1989, Bench Bar award), Academy Florida Trial Lawyers, American Arbitration Association (member panel Florida real property council), American Judges Association, U. Miami Law Alumni Association (judicial directory).

Louie was cited by his peers at Miami Beach Senior High as the "Best All Around Athlete." For over 20 years, Louie competed as both a player and coach in the AAU Men's Basketball League. He also earned honors as an all-star football player while serving in the U.S. Marines. He played semi-professional football with the Miami Barracuda's and was named "All Conference" as both a defensive end and linebacker.

Louie founded the MBSH "Coaches Club" to benefit disadvantaged athletes. The club raises money for athletic equipment, pre and post game meals for players and tutors for athletes. Since his graduation in '58, Louie has continued to work tirelessly as a fundraiser and volunteer for the MBSH athletic program. In 1998, the Alumni Class of 1958 established the "Louie and Shelly Hayes Award" for outstanding community service.

We are sad to announce that on November 1, 2020 we had to say goodbye to Louis David Hayes of Hollywood, Florida.

Robert Michael Payton (25 May 1944 – 13 July 1994) was an American marketing man, restaurateur and hotelier. He is known for starting a chain of American-style restaurants in London in the 1970s, starting with The Chicago Pizza Pie Factory.

He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and later received a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

When sent to England by J. Walter Thompson to promote Kraft products, he decided to stay. He opened several successful fast food outlets such as Chicago Pizza Pie Factories and a series of themed restaurants such as Rib Shacks, Chicago Meatpackers and Henry J. Bean's. In 1988 he bought Stapleford Park, a large Leicestershire country house, and converted it into a hotel.

--Bio from wikipedia

Brett Ratner is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He is also a producer of several films, including the Horrible Bosses series, The Revenant and War Dogs.

Ratner got his start directing with music videos in the 1990s, and directed his first motion picture, Money Talks, in 1997. Overall, the films Ratner has directed have earned over $2 billion at the global box office. Ratner is the co-founder of RatPac Entertainment, a film production company. Ratner led RatPac's partnership with Dune Entertainment in September 2013 for a co-producing deal with Warner Bros. that included 75 films. RatPac Entertainment has co-financed 81 theatrically released motion pictures exceeding $17 billion in worldwide box office receipts. RatPac’s co-financed films have been nominated for 59 Academy Awards, 25 Golden Globes and 43 BAFTAs and have won 25 Academy Awards, 8 Golden Globes and 24 BAFTAs. In January 2017, Ratner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry.

Ratner has served on the boards of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance, Chrysalis, Ghetto Film School, Best Buddies and the Los Angeles Police Foundation. He served on the dean's council of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and also serves on the board of directors of Tel Aviv University's School of Film and Television. He donated $1 million to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in 2013.

--Bio form wikipedia

A graduate of the University Of Florida College Of Law, Singer is an inductee of the University of Florida Hall of Fame. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1975, Singer served as an Assistant Attorney General in Tallahassee until assuming the position of Miami Beach Chief Assistant City Attorney in 1979. In 1981, he was elected to the Miami Beach City Commission where he served 10 years including three terms as Vice Mayor. In 1988, Singer gave up the practice of law to become the fulltime CEO/President of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, the largest business and citizen membership organization in the City of Miami Beach (1988-2005).

"As president / founder of the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, I am currently working with the City of Miami Beach to create an ADA accessible project aimed at meeting the unique health and wellness needs of residents and visitors who have disabilities. Once completed, the project will be the first of a kind accessible beach and playground in Miami Beach, attracting locals and tourists year-around. The adaptive sports and recreation components of the project will offer something for everyone, making a day of fun at the beach possible for all. Additionally, I'm also advancing my career as a Life Coach and studying to get my real estate license, which will cater to accessible living."

Ricki Weyhe received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Miami.

Throughout her 41 years of teaching, she has nourished many souls and stimulated their thirst for learning. Her innovative, creative, and enthusiastic style of teaching had a profound impact on those who were privileged to sit in her classroom. She was a Teacher of the Year for MBSH.

In 1986 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the Netherlands. She was on the writing team of the Gifted Education Curriculum and became an original Adjunct Teacher in the DATA Program (Dade Academy of the Teaching Arts) at its founding by MDCPS. She served as a resident teacher in the "Art of Teaching" which trained teachers throughout the district. She was also an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University.

In 1988 and 1992 she was awarded two National Endowments of the Humanities. The first was to study paintings as text at the University of Pennsylvania. The second studied Winslow Homer at Syracuse University. She also received a grant to study Hip-Hop Culture at Eckerd College.

While at Beach, she sponsored the English Honor Society, Quill and Scroll, and the Embryo Literary Magazine. "Creativity is an important key. It draws the best from each child. I value the writing and words of teenagers. They are often prophetic and very wise."