The lifeguard station at Nahant Beach has officially been declared the ‘Maximillian X. Carbone Lifeguard Station’ in memory of the Nahant resident and college student who died last year.
“It’s such an honor to recognize Max and the other lifeguards in this way,” said Jennifer Carbone, Max’s mother. “These lifeguards bear an incredible responsibility to keep the community safe while they enjoy this beautiful beach, and they do an excellent job.”
Carbone’s family had previously worked with Sen. Brendon Crighton, along with Rep. Peter Capano, to advocate for language in Nahant’s 2020 budget that would allow them to dedicate the lifeguard station in Carbone’s name.
The language was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker last July.
Carbone, a 2017 graduate of Swampscott High School, was a sophomore biomedical engineering student at Wentworth Institute of Technology when he died at school unexpectedly in April 2019.
An active member of his community and a lifelong beach-lover, he was a lifeguard from 2015 to 2018 at Nahant Beach and is remembered fondly by his fellow lifeguards as a kind, supportive, and true leader who once saved the life of a choking toddler while on duty.
In a statement released after his death, Carbone’s family described him as a hardworking student and a “sweet, happy and loving son, brother and friend.”
“Max was the glue that held us together,” said friend Sofie Katona at Carbone’s Celebration of Life in 2019. “He didn’t have a chance to finish what he started, but there’s no doubt that he taught all of us to live, laugh, and love.”
A dedication ceremony was initially scheduled to take place May 16, which would have been Carbone’s 21st birthday. However, installation was stalled by the COVID-19 outbreak and, citing public safety reasons, his family later requested to forego a ceremony altogether. The plaque was quietly installed last week.
Memorials created for Carbone by his friends and family can be found throughout Nahant and Swampscott.
In June 2019, Swampscott High School’s graduating class installed a bench in honor of the avid soccer player at Blockside Field.
Last December, the town of Nahant held a separate plaque dedication ceremony for Carbone at Nahant Wharf.
“Nahant is such a tight-knit, small community that if something happens to one of us, it happens to the whole community,” Town Administrator Antonio Barletta told The Item in December. “The community really got together to help the family, and continues to do so.”
