Each year, the Westbury School District honors extraordinary alumni with the J. Alfred Cannon, M.D. Alumni of Distinction Award. Now in its third year, this annual Homecoming tradition recognizes trailblazers who have given back to the community and made a difference in the world, all with the foundation of a Westbury School District education. Here’s a look at this year’s honorees, who had their names added to the plaque in the high school lobby and were recognized at the weekend’s Homecoming festivities.
Naveed Masani, MD, Class of 1992
Dr. Naveed Masani graduated from Westbury High School in 1992. He attended Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Engineering (Class of 1997) and went onto Stony Brook School of Medicine. After his graduation in 1999, Masani interned at Winthrop University Hospital and received a fellowship for nephrology. He is currently the attending nephrologist at Winthrop, an assistant professor at Stony Brook, the medical director at Outpatient Dialysis in Mineola, received the Teaching Attending of the Year Award at Winthrop in 2005, was named as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in 2013 and received the Laureate Teaching Award from the American College of Physicians in 2015.
“It is through the personal dedication of teachers themselves that makes Westbury High School a successful forum for education,” said Masani. “It is vital that those individuals be recognized on an ongoing basis for their dedication and compassion to the students. If you don’t have a guide to lead you through to the oasis, very few of us would find it.”
Carmine Marano, Class of 1956
Carmine Marano, a member of the last class of Carle Place residents to attend WHS, was president of his class for all four years, serving as student council and senior class president simultaneously. He was a member of the baseball, football, wrestling and track teams, became North Shore Wrestling Champion and was selected for the All-Nassau Football Team. He served in the US Army as a demolition expert in New Mexico, disarming missiles. He taught world history and later served as chairman of the Social Studies Department from 1985-2002. He coached a variety of sports, including soccer, football and wrestling. A man of great knowledge and experience, Marano mentored teachers in becoming familiar to the WHS traditions and ways. After he retired he volunteered 8,000 hours of his time at St. Francis Hospital. He passed away in summer of 2015, leaving behind his loving wife Carol, son David and daughter Susan and their families, and a legacy of being a “very good man.”
Ann Cannon Sweat, Class of 1948
Ann Sweat was an engaged and relevant member of the Westbury community. Growing up in Jericho, she was affiliated with her family’s church, Westbury A.M.E. Zion Church, of which her maternal grandfather was a founding member. She contributed significantly to the higher education of WHS graduates by contributions made to several dozen college-bound seniors through the Dr. J. Alfred Cannon Award of Excellence, named in honor of her later brother. She and her late husband, Mannie Sweat, were recognized for initiating programs within the Westbury School District, providing students real-life experiences and internships at the Nassau University Medical Center and for forming L.I.F.E, an educational advocacy group.
Remembered for her civic mindedness, Sweat was chairperson of the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Westbury and was known to be unrelenting in pursuing efforts beneficial to the Westbury community. She received recognition from all levels of government in Nassau County and was especially proud of her induction into the May W. Newburger Women’s Roll of Honor in the Town of North Hempstead. She passed away earlier this year, leaving behind adopted daughter and caregiver Emma Wright, stepdaughters Patricia McLane and Letitia Sweat, and goddaughter Kim Figueroa.
—Submitted by the Westbury School District
