Remembering Those Alumni Lost On September 11 

The tragic events of September 11 have touched almost every part of the nation. SUNY College at Old Westbury is no exception.  Old Westbury lost four of its graduates-three whom worked at the securities firm of Cantor Fitzgerald and a third who was in the World Trade Center by chance on that fateful day.  Several parents, siblings and other family members of Old Westbury students, staff, and graduates also perished.

“The events of September 11, 2001 are the greatest tragedy ever to befall the United States of America,” said College President Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III.  “We as a community mourn the graduates and friends of this institution who were lost, and we offer our sympathy and support to their families and loved ones.”

Following are short profiles on those Old Westbury alumni who perished in the events of September 11, 2001. 

 Dennis Michael Edwards ’88

Dennis Edwards, 35, was a partner in the government bonds division of Cantor Fitzgerald, the securities firm whose name is now synonymous with the World Trade Center tragedy.  He joined Cantor Fitzgerald directly after graduating with his business and management degree from Old Westbury in 1988.

Edwards had endured tragedy at the World Trade Center before.  When terrorists bombed the complex in 1993, he helped carry a pregnant woman down 80 flights of stairs.  “I knew in my heart there’s no way he would come out,” his brother-in-law Joseph Kavanagh told the Chicago Tribune of the events of September 11.  “He would have been helping others.”

A native of Huntington, New York, Edwards married his high school sweetheart, Patti, and was the father of two-year-old Alexa.

James J. Carson ’93

            James Carson, 32, had joined Cantor Fitzgerald as a systems network engineer just six weeks before the terrorist attacks.  To prepare for the expected arrival of his first child in January 2002, the 1993 graduate of the College’s Management Information Systems program joined the firm to take advantage of its benefits offerings.

“He was the biggest go-getter there was,” Debbie Carson, his wife, told Newsday.  Born and raised in Baldwin, New York, he graduated from Baldwin High School before attending Old Westbury.

An avid football fan, he had been employed by TAOS Consulting, an information technology infrastructure and system administration support consultancy, prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald.

 Wade Brian Green ’84

            But for the scheduling of a telecommunications conference at Windows on the World, Wade Green would not have been in the World Trade Center on September 11.  A 1984 graduate of the Biological Sciences program at Old Westbury, Green had spent the past three years as a field service representative for Thomson Financial Consultants.

            Prior to joining Thomson, Green’s career had included service as a high school science teacher in Queens and as a computer system professional for the Board of Education of New York City.

            According to family members, Green was an avid gardener and spent every Sunday singing with his mother in the choir at the Church of the Advent in Westbury.  He is survived by his wife, Roxanne, and his four-year-old daughter, Danielle.

 Anthony Perez ‘00

            As The Path went to press, the College learned of the fate of Anthony Perez, a year 2000 graduate from the Computer Information Sciences program.  Perez  worked for e-speed, a division of Cantor Fitzgerald, on the 103^rd floor of the World Trade Center’s Tower 1. 

Described by those who knew him as a “wiz” with computers, Perez had built computers for each of his three children using only spare parts.  He is survived by his wife, Mary, and children, Olivia, Anthony James and Alexis.            

Team Old Westbury Places 11^th at the 2001 ACM 

A team of Old Westbury computer information science students, coached by Professor Ebrahimi, placed 11^th at the annual Association for Computing Regional Collegiate Programming Contest —the best showing among colleges and universities located on Long Island and ahead of such renowned institutions as Yale and the U.S. Military Academy.

A Campus Construction Update

Last summer a fundraising appeal was mailed to a segment of our alumni database.  While the response was not overwhelming, it was encouraging.  To those who made donations, SUNY College at Old Westbury family, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation for your financial support.  Your belief in Old Westbury is greatly appreciated, and your assistance makes a significant difference in fulfilling our mission. 

Your philanthropy has, and will continue to make significant changes to Old Westbury and the family.  Philanthropy can transform students, faculty and a campus.  Donors’ gifts impact students by offering scholarships that changed their lives in a positive direction.  It also contributes by sponsoring enrichment programs for students and faculty, not funded by SUNY. 

Now, more than ever, we need your support.  SUNY Central has once again significantly reduced our budget for the current fiscal year and very likely next year as well.  It is only through the support of the alumni that Old Westbury can continue to offer to future students the same quality education that you once received to future constituents. 

As we continue to experience financial cuts, philanthropy will play an ever more important role in creating a stronger and brighter future for Old Westbury.  Partially with the donations of loyal alumni we were able to award $106,945 in scholarships and fellowships, under-write several enrichment programs on campus and overseas. 

Thank you again for continued support.

 Sincerely,  

Penny Jane Chin ’90 Accounting

Director of Alumni Affairs 

Nominations for the Thirteenth Annual Alumni Association’s Award Dinner are now being accepted.  Each year the Alumni Association honors distinguished alumni and friends who have made notable contributions to the Association, the College and the community.   The Association will present three awards in either of the following categories; Arts, Business, Communications, Community Service, Education and Theatre.  You may nominate more than one candidate. 

Please attach to the nomination form (below) your chosen nominee’s resume, any supporting material and your reason why your candidate should receive the award   Return it to the SUNY College at Old Westbury Alumni Association, P.O. Box 210, Old Westbury, NY  11568-0210 or fax it to 516/876-3024 no later than Friday, March 8, 2002.  Please do not hesitate to contact the Association at 516/876-3140 if you have any questions. 

Thank you for your continued support to the SUNY College at Old Westbury Alumni Association.  Hope to see you at the dinner in May.

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‘A Taste Of Long Island’ Raises Over $70,000 

Delicious food, fine wine and a sold out dining room were the main ingredients in the recipe for the most successful fundraiser in recent memory to support Old Westbury. 

Over $70,000 was raised during “A Taste of Long Island”, a gala dinner on November 28th organized by the SUNY College at Old Westbury Foundation, Inc. and held recently at Chateau Briand in Carle Place, New York.  All proceeds from this evening of fine cuisine and wine will support scholarship funds, and educational programs at SUNY College at Old Westbury. 

Throughout the evening, over 300 guests enjoyed a sampling of the signature dishes from Long Island’s finest restaurants and vineyards.

Hasan Ahmed

Munir U. Ahmed

Nasser S. Alshakihfeer

Bauffour Awuah

Khudeja T. Aziz

Stacy Chakem

Tara Corola

Carol Delanoy

Mary E. Diehlmann

Kelechi Duru

Dawn Eddy

Ilene L. Feit

Maria E. Giusto

Xiao Jie Hu

Annamarie Izzo

Tanesha James

Ankawa M. Jean-Louis

Aneika W. Jerman

Carmen Y. Jiang

Howard Kamensky

Karen J. Kaplan

Renee C. Lee

Shirley Lei

Xiuming Lin

Xue Li Liu

Mariela Londono

Rita A. Marchica

David M. Matschke

Sheila McKoy-White

John Meadows

Suzanne Marie Moore

Edgar Murillo

Patricia A. Nicastro

Adeoba Oyero

Elaine Pagan

Terry Ann Powers