The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 236

Principal Wathey, the Classes of 1965, 1972, 1976, and 1979, and lots in between.

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 236.

The East Williston Union Free School District

Dan Silver (1967) Writes - “It strikes me, Arthur, that all 25 of US News’ ‘Top 25 elementary schools in New York State’ are located within NYC’s five boroughs &/or Nassau County.

Really?

And of the list’s five Nassau County schools, North Side, at #17, is second only to Great Neck’s Lakeville School, ranked #12.”

Administration

Walter Wesley “Wes” Wathey

Gene Razzetti (1961) writes - “Art, I think the Newsletter should give more copy to Mr. Wathey - more than just a stand-alone picture. The pictures of you eating your way across Long Island get more space. Mr. Wathey basically built Wheatley. If the halls of Wheatley were ever “hallowed,” it was when he was in them. Best to all, Gene.”

Art Engoron (1967) Responds - Mr. Wathey was one of my all-time heroes (along with Mickey Mantle, gym teacher Bill Stevenson, and a few United States Presidents). He is the person most responsible (by far) for creating Wheatley’s great culture, academics, reputation, and ambiance. He and I kept in touch with each other until his passing. For decades, we called each other on our respective birthdays. I have often published glowing stories about him (in which I tend to call him “legendary"). I helped convince him to attend Wheatley’s 50th (and almost convinced him to attend Wheatley’s 60th) Anniversary Celebrations from Arizona. I helped raise money for an ailing family member.

Jill Simon (1967) Writes - “I enjoyed seeing the photo of Mr Wathey, whom I definitely remember. Assistant Principal Colin Bentley was always telling Bob (Forte, 1965) and me to ‘break hands, you two’ when we walked down the halls holding hands 🤝 😅🤣.”

Carl Wirth (1967) Writes - “Art, Seeing that photograph of Mr. Wathey was terrific ...as students, we were lucky to have such a wonderful educator as our leader. He was more than just a principal. In my time as president of the student government during our senior year, he and I met at least once a week so that he was informed as to what the students were thinking. I remembering asking if he would hold press conferences with the student body, and he agreed. Many of the ideas that our student government asked for, he agreed to...the famous freedom of the grounds that led selected students to go about the building without a pass, allowing to be set up in the library a table where students could share pamphlets without fear of censorship, and perhaps my greatest achievement as president...the return of ice cream pops sold at lunch time. He was an educator with many advanced ideas and very willing to listen to the ideas of others. A great man. Thanks.”

Jonathan Flick (1972) Writes - Thanks, Art, for including a photo of Dr. Wathey in the recent newsletter. I was a member of the Class of 1972, but I left for college after my junior year, in 1971. Mr. Wathey assured me that if I returned after my freshman year with my college transcript, I would receive my high school diploma. When I did as he suggested, he noticed my transcript lacked a gym credit. When I explained that my college didn’t offer physical education courses for credit, he told me that I would need to attend summer school and take a gym class. I politely declined, and as a result, I never actually graduated from Wheatley. Fortunately, despite being a high school dropout, I was able to go on and graduate from college, and then medical school. Jonathan (Jon) Flick.

And for Further Hagiography……..

An Obituary of Mr. Wathey - Newsday, October 1, 2022

JUNE 18, 1924 – SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Walter Wesley ‘Wes’ Wathey, 98, of Surprise, AZ and formerly of
Woodbury, NY, died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family on
September 24th, 2022. Born in Brooklyn, NY. He is survived by his
wife, Joan (nee Catena), of 72 years, and sons Wes (Jan) of Huntington,
NY, Scott of Surprise, AZ, and Drew (predeceased by daughter-in-law,
Bernadette Dede Wathey) of Phoenix, AZ; grandchildren, Christopher
(Caroline), Kimberly, Kevin and Lauren; great-grandchildren, Reese and
Campbell; as well as many nieces and nephews. A passionate Brooklyn
Dodger fan, his knowledge of New York baseball history and trivia was
seldom matched. Served as the Principal of The Wheatley School from
1961-1979.

Wes was a proud World War II Veteran who served during the
D Day invasion at Normandy earning two Purple Hearts. He earned both
his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from New York
University. While at Wheatley, he matriculated at Columbia University
and the Doctoral program in Education. He was admired and loved by the
many graduates of The Wheatley School during his tenure. ‘He was
completely immersed in all aspects of Wheatley, from participating in
the school’s theater productions to attending the many Wheatley
Wildcat sporting events each year,’ according to his son, Wes. Upon
his retirement in 1979, a Wheatley High School Leadership Award was
established in his name.”

Graduates

1967 - Shirley Vogl Quarantello Writes - “Hi Art, I was talking about Billy Joel to a 23 year old, and he said he didn’t know who Billy is. Then, I asked him if he knew what the Dewey Decimal System is, and he asked me if it is an app!!!! 😬”

1967 - Jack Wolf - “I left Wheatley after my junior year and went to the University of Michigan on early admission. After a year, I dropped out and went off with the flower children to San Francisco. Ten years later, in 1979, when I went back to college, I took English, but I don’t think I ever actually received a Wheatley diploma, despite having finished college and medical school. So I am a high school dropout MD.”

1972 - Jo Ann Bregman and Patricia Chock - Forever Friends

Jo Ann and Trish Write - We grew up together, lived down the block from one another, were six months apart in age, and literally played in the playpen together.

Trish lives in Philadelphia and runs a fabric business. Jo Ann lives on Long Island and is a retired educator.

We always get together in August when Trish and her husband, Stanley, sail into Huntington Harbor on their boat, Delphinis. We spend the afternoon relaxing and catching up on the boat with their dog Buoy, a Partí-Yorkie.

P.S. We are putting this info out there before our obits!

Buoy wearing his red life preserver.

1972 - Howard Davidson - Another Motorcycle Man - “So, Art, the real story is this. I am on a motorcycle ride in northern Thailand, up to the Myanmar border. I went to the place where you can see Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (formerly Burma). It’s the old Golden Triangle area of warlords and opium smugglers. The trip has been amazing, often along steep, twisty mountain roads. There are eight people in our party; two have had minor falls on their motorcycles; luckily, no major issues to the people or motorcycles. I spent a week in Bangkok before heading north for the motorcycle part of the trip.

Art Engoron (1967) Responds - I owned and rode a Suzuki 750 for several years in my mid-30s. If you want to know what fun is, ride a powerful bike, fast, up a hill, around a curve, in a middle gear, on a beautiful day. Now, that is fun. Be careful and wear a helmet.

1980 - Ken Breslin Writes - “The boys of the Class of 1980 are still tight and getting together before the New York City Marathon.”

L-R - Todd Cooper, Gary Correnti, Ken Breslin, Larry Rush, Rob Perelman

1985 - Michael Ferrara - “After 24 years at Becton Dickinson in medical sales, I’ve hung up my corporate badge and officially retired - although I’m still figuring out what ‘retired’ actually means. So far, it involves coffee each morning at my favorite bagel store, long walks, and wondering how I ever had time for a full-time job. I’m exploring what’s next, and part of that includes reconnecting with old friends from Wheatley and the neighborhood.

Some things haven’t changed: my parents still live in East Williston, in the same house in which my sisters - Anna, Cathy, and Gena - and I grew up, and they are all nearby. We still gather at my parents’ house once or twice a month, which is basically a family reunion around a table of food and loud conversation.

My wife Debbie and I now live in Wyckoff, NJ. My two sons, AJ (26) and Francesco (23), are doing great. AJ is based in NYC and Francesco is in Washington DC, both carving out their own paths.

L-R - Francesco and Michael Ferrara

L-R - AJ and Michael Ferrara at AJ’s graduation

If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘I should reach out’ - please do. Whether it’s a quick hello, grabbing a drink, or just sharing stories, it would be great to reconnect. You can reach me directly at mferrara9@gmail.com.

From the Archives - Class of ‘65 In 2016 - New Names Added in Bold

L-R - Sitting - ???, Donna Hegyi Gillman, ???, Ellen “Ellie” Senft Kochek, Jane Goldenberg Fire

Standing - ??? Gibb “Saleem Pernath” Geery, ???, ???, Neil Firetog, ???, Norman Resnicow, ???, Lanning “Lanny” Schiller, Ken Katz

From the Archives - Class of ‘72 in 2016 - All Blanks Filled In

Recent additions in bold.

Front Row - Elizabeth Diamond, Donna Filler, Pam Arcuri, Arlene “Ally” Acker, Jean Walsh, Richard Frishman, Bonnie Greenberg, Gloria Zibaida, Ellen Kandell

Back Row - Paul Celella, Judy Oppenheim, Jo Ann Bregman Miles, David Resnicow, Jill Gaines, Maris Dobrow, Seth Katz, Ilene Kent, James Vincze, Richard Weissman, Phil Wild, Patricia “Tricia” Chock, Steven Krakauer

From the Archives - Class of ‘76 in 2016 - Identifications Needed

From the Archives - Class of ‘79 in 2016 - Identifications Needed

Fan Mail

1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - “Thanks for more good memories.”

1985 - Michael Ferrara - “Thanks for the great Newsletter, Art, and for all you do.”

The Official Notices

All underlined text is a link-to-a-link or a link-to-an-email-address. Clicking anywhere on underlined text, and then clicking on the text that pops up, will get you to your on-line destination or will address an email.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 234 or so Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters (and much other Wheatley data and arcana) at

The Wheatley School Alumni Association Website

Also thanks to Keith is our search engine, prominently displayed on our home page: type in a word or phrase and, wow!, you’ll find every place it exists in all previous Newsletters and other on-site material.

I edit all submissions, even material in quotes, for clarity and concision, without any indication thereof. I cannot and do not vouch for the accuracy of what people tell me, as TWSAA does not have a New Yorker type fact-checking department.

We welcome any and all text and photos relevant to The Wheatley School, 11 Bacon Road, Old Westbury, NY 11568, and the people who administered, taught, worked, and/or studied there. Art Engoron, Class of 1967

Closing

That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 236. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.

Art

Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967

ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM

WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG

646-872-4833