THE WHEATLEY SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER # 71
Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,
Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 71.
Note - Anything underlined is a link, or a link-to-a-link, and anything not is not, because Substack will not allow you to underline anything OTHER THAN a link.
Have Screenplay, Need Agent
Writes Art Engoron (1967) - Tom and Jill Glaser (1968) and I have written a screenplay based on Tom’s father’s Holocaust experiences, from Prague to the Lodz Ghetto to Auschwitz to Bavaria and, miraculously, back to Prague (including the inhumane cattle-car transports and the “death marches”). We hope, and believe, that it is worthy of being made into a “Major Motion Picture.” Does anybody know, or know of, an agent that could work with us and pitch this to Hollywood? (Much of the material is based on Tom’s father’s letter of August, 1945, included in Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 41, WHEATLEY ALUMNI NEWSLETTER # 41
Newsletter Statistics
People often ask how many subscribers receive The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter. According to SubStack (and rounding-off):
4,500 - Number of recipients
4,300 - Number of views
4,200 - Number of viewers
19% - Percentage of Subscribers who opened a link (a plurality were to the NY Times)
At least that’s how I interpret the somewhat mysterious data SubStack posts.
The Usual Words of Wisdom
Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 68 Newsletters (and other Wheatley data and arcana) at
Wheatley School Alumni Association Website
Also, thanks to Keith is our handy-dandy, super-duper search engine, prominently displayed on our home page: type in a word or phrase and, voilà, you’ll find every place it exists in all previous Newsletters and other on-site material. I use it all the time. Amazing!
Meanwhile, if you are completely uninterested in Wheatley matters, please ask me to remove you from our distribution list.
I edit all submissions, even material in quotes, for clarity and concision, without any indication thereof. I do not have a fact-checking department, and I do not vouch for the accuracy of what people tell me, although occasionally I correct obvious errors or refuse to publish blatant falsehoods.
Unless you indicate otherwise, I will assume that you have given me permission to publish anything you send me; but please indicate whether or not I can publish your contact information (otherwise I will assume not). Scores of alumni email addresses can be found on
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 and/or studied there.
The Wheatley Peer Program
Richard Levy, 1975, remembers two other participants: WCBS TV News anchor and reporter Jim Jensen, and chess master and teacher Bruce Pandolfini.
Faculty
Jeanine (“Mrs.”) Brescia - North Side School Student and Teacher
Writes daughter Donna Brescia (1968) - “Mom’s doing well…she turned 102 in February and is living in the same house in East Williston in which her children grew up). She still gardens, reads, and walks on her own. We’re fortunate.
She attended North Side as a child! One of her teachers was Mrs. Sherman, who then requested that I be assigned to her room so she could do a mother-daughter thing before she retired. She grew up in Mineola, went to Roslyn High School (way before Wheatley) and then New Paltz Normal to become a teacher.
She subbed and then taught only at North Side, having instructed first-graders for 25 years.
She had 5 kids, 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. She lives 4 blocks away from her first home in Mineola.
Graduates
1962 - Robert Freiman - Scene From an Italian Restaurant
1963 - Elizabeth Stone Matho - The French Connection
Writes Liz - "I'm still in France, although I did buy a house in Oyster Bay Cove in November 2019, unfortunately, just before Covid was announced. While waiting for the lockdown to end, my daughter Katie and her little family moved into the house, which is only minutes from the Cold Spring Harbor Lab, where she and her husband work as post-docs.”
1964 - Ronald and Susan Skarka Miller - Sweet Memories
Writes Ron - As I am often in Herricks, I stopped by Hildebrandt’s recently and found that it hasn’t changed in the 60+ years since my wife and I first went there. We have been living in Branford, CT since 1994; we have 3 sons and six grandchildren. We really enjoy reading this newsletter as it reminds us of our high school years. …so many great memories!
1966 and 1969 - Tobi and Fred Eisenstein - Dad’s Long and Amazing Life
Julius Eisenstein Obituary - South Florida Sun Sentinel - Link
Newsday Obit but you'll need a subscription - Link
Writes Alison Kent Bermant (1966) - “Julius was the father of Tobi (1966) and Frederick (1969) Eisenstein. He and his wife owned the bakery in the Westwood Shopping Center. They made the very best 7-layer cake and seeded, sour rye bread in the history of the world.”
1966 - Kathy Maxim Greenleaf - Deceased in late 2020
Writes Karen Wattel Arenson - “Very sad to hear of Kathy Maxim Greenleaf’s death. I worked with her on the Wildcat, and I think she won an award for one of the articles she wrote.”
1967 - Art Engoron - In the News
1967 - Art Engoron - Proud Poppa
My son Ian and his girlfriend attending a wedding in Louisiana.
1967 - Robert Hecht and Frank Vedder - In Las Vegas
L-R - Robert and Frank
1968 - Jill Silvering and Tom Glaser - Married 51 Years!
Writes Art Engoron - Jill and Tom were born one week (not two, as previously reported) apart and have spent their lives together!
1969 - William Kirchick - His Son, the Author - Continued
Writes the New York Times - “‘Secret City,” by James Kirchick, is a sprawling and enthralling history of how the gay subculture in Washington, D.C., long in shadow, emerged int the klieg lights. But it’s also a whodunit to rival anything by Agatha Christie. How did so many promising men in government wind up dead before their time, by such variously violent means? * * * As an epic of a dark age, complex and shaded, ‘Secret City’ is rewarding in the extreme.”
1970 - Senior Prom Photo
L-R - Nancy Reuben, Kenny Levien, Jane Roeder, Bruce Deckler
1970 - Anne Ballen - Still Working Hard
Tempted to send my obit:
"Was a loyal - if difficult - wife, loved her children (son PhD astrophysicist involved with James Webb telescope and daughter in FinTech start up) to distraction and her granddaughter Vera - forget it! Helped many children and adults in Miami who suffered from strabismus and from cataracts and other eye ailments common to children and adults, did her best and loved her patients whether they paid or not, especially proud of the new immigrants she helped who quickly became educated and graduated from dependent to independent, (very grateful to those who paid), learned much from fellow Miami citizens who were victims of dictatorships (regimes that were celebrated myopically and foolishly in the halls of Wheatley i.e., Castro and his ilk), Always ferociously proud of being Jewish and of all that Israel has contributed to the world."
I still believe "les fruits son a tous, la tierre n'est a personne" (“the fruits belong to everyone, the land belongs to no one”) but with qualifications, because people have to live somewhere
Well, I'm not dead yet. In fact, I feel great TG. Still working hard; ask me again next year.
Ann Ballen
1970 - Ken Ruby - Keeping Questionable Company
L-R - Art Engoron (1967) and Ken Ruby (1970) - Shun Lee West - NYC - 5/19/2022
1974 - Cathy Gould Rath - Starting East Coast Book Tour
Hello fellow Wildcats,
After a crazy/disturbing year and getting more so everyday, safe to say, we all continue to appreciate any sliver of a silver lining.
I shared mine with you all last year about my debut novel, RIPPLE EFFECT, and am happy to report that a number of you connected with me and bought the book. Several of you got back to me after the read, told me how much you enjoyed the story, and even posted reviews on Amazon and Goodreads (thank you)!
With bookstores finally opening up their doors to in-person events, I decided to knock on some to coincide with my annual east coast visit with family/friends. GREAT NEWS is I got three gigs! I realize this newsletter will give you only a 2-3 week advance notice, but if you CAN make it, I’d love to see some Wheatley alumni faces in the crowd. And if you can’t make it, then could please pass the event on to your networks? I’d be so grateful.
From San Francisco Book Review:
Told from four alternative perspectives, Ripple Effect is a family saga that is both engaging and riveting. It allows the reader to learn about the life of each individual and gain a complete picture of the family as a whole and the dynamics that made them unique. Quite a lot of depth to each character, I liked the fact that Jeannie was a determined young woman with not just a secret to uncover but someone trying to navigate life on her own terms. Wonderfully descriptive and very good at bringing in significant social issues of the time, I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. By the time I finished it, I felt that I had come to know the Glazer family inside and out. I wouldn’t mind reading more about what happened to Jeannie and how things turned out with Phil. I hope there will be more from Rath in the future. — San Francisco Book Review
Here are the details:
1. Hudson Valley Books for Humanity in Ossining - June 5th from 4-6 pm
https://www.hvbooksforhumanity.com/events
2. Booked in Chestnut Hill, PA - June 10th from 5-7 pm
https://www.bookedch.com/events-2
3. *Dolphin Books in Port Washington - June 16th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm
https://thedolphinbookshop.com
* = promotion page with event information is not posted yet, but date and time are locked in.
1975 Heidi Bush - Graduated Early But Keeps Coming Back
Writes Heidi - “I was not in the 1975 Aurora because I left Wheatley in 1974 to attend an early admissions college program at SUNY Albany. I received my high school diploma after my freshman year of college, where I was required to take one year of English and History. I also was accepted into a similar program at NYU. I still attend reunions for the 1975 Class as that was my academic class.
Currently, I live in NY City and have retired after approximately 40 years of being a securities analyst (mostly stocks) and a money manager (pension funds, mutual funds, etc.). I am married and have 2 children (now adults) and 2 step children.
Fan Mail
1958 (Julian Whiting) - ❤️
1961 (Jill Davidson Blaney) - “Thank you Art. I’m always looking forward to the next newsletter.”
1961 (Carol Jalonack Blum) - “I always enjoy reading the newsletter. Thank you for all your efforts to keep it going.”
1962 (Stuart Brown) - “You guys do a great job.”
1962 (Naomi Klotz Obie) - “We enjoy these so much and thank you again for your efforts! (It's not like you have nothing else to do these days). We appreciate your keeping up the communications, which is a real enrichment for us Wheatley kids.”
Naomi-1962 (Annie Wilkinson) - “"Thanks for taking on -- and sticking with -- the Herculean editing task!"
1964 - (Ronald and Susan Skarka Miller) - “Thank you for all the effort that you put into the newsletter.”
1964 (JoAnn Pedone Kieman) - ❤️
1965 - (Eliot “Ike” Evans) - “Another great newsletter, Art!”
1965 (Cory Friedman) - “The new Newsletter format looks great and is easy to read.”
1965 (Barry Gordon) - ❤️
1966 (Alison Kent Bermant) - “I love that you do this.”
1968 (Donna Brescia) - “As always, Art - thanks for your work on this newsletter!”
1968 (Shelley Nan Hershcopf) - ❤️
1968 (Wendy Woods) - ❤️
1970 (Roberta Shechtman) - ❤️
1972 (Donna Filler-Wilensky) - “Thank you for all of your energy and efforts that go into helping keep Wheatley grads aware and connected.”
1973 (Charlie Nash) - ❤️
1975 (Heidi Bush) - “I look forward to your next alumni letter.”
1975 (Amy Rothbaum Patalano) - ❤️
1978 (William Lynch) - ❤️
1979 (William Behan) - ❤️
1979 (John Faruolo) - ❤️
1979 (Amy Gould) - “Thanks, Art.”
1979 (Mary Hopkins Burke) - “Thank you and Keith for all the work you do keeping this newsletter going. I know it must be a lot of work. I really enjoy reading it even though my high school days weren't much fun.”
1979 (Gwendolyn “Wendy” McClure) - “Thank you Art! Wonderful newsletter! I very much enjoyed John Clarke’s commentary on his forced retirement due to the unethical and apparently unlawful denial of his religious exemption. May our beautiful country return to its founding principles of freedom. Meng Blessings ❤️🙏❤️”
1983 (Claudia Reinhardt Johnson) - “I always look forward to the newsletters. Thank you, Art!!”
Closing
That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 71. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.
Art
Arthur Fredericks Engoron, 1967
WHEATLEYALUMNI@AOL.COM
ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM
646-872-4833
Thank you, Arthur, for your informative letters. STEVEN BRAUTIGAM 1971
Enjoy every issue of the newsletter. Thanks so much for all you do.