Summerlin resident Edward Nigro has been elected to the national leadership of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The choice was announced during the MDA's December board meeting in New York City.
Nigro was named a national vice president of the voluntary health organization. MDA national vice presidents use their areas of expertise to support the group's lifesaving programs and activities.
Nigro has a long history with the organization.
The MDA telethon used to be broadcast from the Sahara, when Nigro was president of that hotel/casino.
"I remember working with them back in the 1970s," he said of the MDA. "The world of Las Vegas was so much smaller then. We got all the top entertainers to come and participate."
He spoke of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Johnny Carson stopping by and watching as Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis reunited on stage.
These days, Nigro is involved in building.
He is the founder and owner of Nigro Associates, a real estate and construction firm that has developed and built commercial and residential properties worth more than $500 million.
From 1991-92, Nigro served as construction manager for the building of MDA's national headquarters in Tucson, Ariz.
"It was one of the first barrier-free buildings," he said.
While Nigro downplayed his new role with the organization, a press release relayed how valued he is.
"MDA recognizes Ed Nigro's demonstrated leadership and selfless commitment to service," MDA President and CEO Gerald C. Weinberg stated.
"We can be sure that his contributions will be of inestimable value to the association's search for treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy and other muscle-wasting diseases," he said.
The telethon returned to Las Vegas after 12 years in Hollywood and now originates from the South Point. The most recent telethon netted more than $61 million.
The MDA's wide-reaching umbrella seeks to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and public health education.
The MDA maintains 235 clinics nationwide, including one at UMC Enterprise Quick Care in Las Vegas.
When asked if he had any inside information on how close researchers are to finding cures, Nigro said, "From what I hear, we're not far away from hearing wonderful news."
For more information on the MDA, those who are interested can visit www.mda.org.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
