The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 167

Glad News and Sad News

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 167.

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In its first 24 hours of existence, Newsletter # 166 was viewed 3,020 times, was liked six times, and was commented on once. In all, 4,727 email addresses received Newsletter # 166.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 166 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 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

John Fitzgerald Kennedy - November 22, 1963

Martha Weissberg (1965) Writes - “Art, I imagine that the reason those of us at Wheatley on November 22, 1963 differ on how we learned the president was dead was that we weren't all in the auditorium at the same time.  Perhaps the junior high students went to one, and the senior high students went to another.  Howard Klepper is right.  It was Dr. Wells who announced in person that JFK had died.  I remember that booming voice very clearly.  However, I learned that JFK had been shot when I was in a classroom of younger students.  For some reason, a few juniors and I were observing Mr. Seiderman's class.  The students were younger than we were, and Mr. S pulled us aside and told us, and not the class, that the president had been shot.  I did not think he would die, but I was very afraid and sat through that assembly furious that this speaker, whom I remember as a police officer, was boring us at that moment.  And then the doors opened and Dr. Wells, with his shock of white hair, announced that the president was dead.  We then went to our homerooms and waited in silence until the buses arrived.  We did not have school the next day.  I imagine that subsequent generations had that kind of moment on September 11, 2001.”

Howard Kirchick (1967) Writes - “Hey Art, My recollection of the JFK assassination announcement is a bit different from those of others.  I was in the nurse’s office for a physical exam that I believe was required for Junior High wrestling.  I don’t remember exactly how we learned that Kennedy had been shot.  I do know that there were a few other students there with me.  If anybody else who was in the nurse’s office with me is reading this and remembers more details, please share with the rest of us.

I, too, loved the photographs of our 1967 classmates Amy Pastarnack Hughes and Scott Geery.  I used to go over to Scott’s house to play when we were North Siders.  And like many before me have expressed, I am amazed at the talent that has passed through the halls of Wheatley. All the best, Howard”

The Grateful Dead

Jeff Needle (1978) Writes - “I hereby confirm Jeffrey Mester, Class of 1980's correct identification of the members of the Grateful Dead visible in the photo. I can also certify his membership in the club, having run into him on a flight to Chicago in 2015 that was headed to the Fare Thee Well shows at Soldier Field commemorating the Dead's 50^th-year anniversary. Approximately 80% of the passengers on that flight later identified themselves as club members!”

The Wheatley School Alumni Public Directory - Recently Updated

The Wheatley Alumni Public Directory

‘Hood Food History

Seth Sporn (1974) Writes - “Charlie Nash (1973, graduated 1972) mentioned the ‘best corn bread’ being at Andels. However, Andels did not bake the corn bread. Most likely, they got it from ‘The 7 Dwarfs Bakery, which was in the same shopping center, or its ‘sister’ bakery, ‘Snow White,’ in Herricks (off of Hillside Avenue).  They both had excellent corn bread and rye bread (with caraway seeds). I don’t know of any place that still bakes corn bread! Great rye bread is also difficult to find (although Wegman’s caraway seed rye bread is pretty good)! Best regards, Seth”

‘Hood Non-Food History - 1914 MAP

The Sports Section

David Berwald (1970) Writes - “Hi Art - I played Wheatley football for 4 years, culminating in 1970 as team captain when we, again, lost all of our Division 4 league games. In those days, we barely had enough players for a team, and those who were most able played offense, defense, and on the special teams, so they never got off the field. Meanwhile, the key players from the better-endowed teams got to rest half the game on the sidelines.  

I also played on some of Wheatley's much more successful teams, wrestling and fitness, but while reflecting on the circumstances, I've come to believe that walking onto that football field time and again, knowing we would surely be clobbered by the likes of Carl Place or Locust Valley, took more courage and built more character than many of my winning endeavors.

A word about Mr. August.  He did not coach football, but he was a remarkable coach, and I give him credit for building toughness into the bodies and characters of many Wheatley athletes.  Dave Berwald, '70

Wheatley Football Game - 1966 - One

Wheatley Football Game - 1966 - Two

The Grateful Dead

Robin Brinn (1969) Writes - “Hi, Art, Reading about Ned Lagin graduating from Wheatley was a WOW moment for me!

I’ve been a serious Deadhead since 1969 - the year I graduated from Wheatley and went to Cornell. Unfortunately, I missed hearing them at Woodstock as a Wheatley senior, because my parents wouldn’t let me go. However, once I got to Cornell, I immediately befriended a crowd of Deadhead‘s and missed many classes going to Dead concerts.  I remember hearing Ned Lagin playing the synthesizer while Phil Lesh played bass and Keith Gottschalk played keyboards. Ned’s synthesizer was mind-blowing during those insane Wall of Sound years, and I’ve heard him on many podcasts and believe he is credited on the Mars Hotel Album playing on Scarlet Begonias.

I have some great Dead stories, having followed them (and now Dead and Company) for 55 years and seeing hundreds of shows. In fact, I just returned from Vegas where I saw Dead and Co. play three nights at the Sphere, and I am still reeling from the amazing graphics and acoustics.

Story One is spending the summer of 1971 in Berkeley and walking into a small bar with my friend and ordering a pitcher of beer. After we were served, the bartender told us we couldn’t drink it because we were under age. Of course, my first thought was, “Well, then why did you sell it to us,” but I kept my mouth shut because Jerry Garcia was sitting with the band at a table nearby. I walked over and asked if they wanted the beer - of course they were delighted - and I got to sit and hang with them for several hours.

Story Two is a game changer in my life. After graduating from Cornell in 1973 (hi, big sis Amy Pastarnack Hughes), I went back to Cornell with all my school Deadhead friends for the 1977 Barton Hall concert, known famously as one of the best Dead concerts ever. Forty years later, in 2017, one of the guys in my friend group posted a message to us on Facebook Messenger saying we should have a ‘virtual celebration’ of the amazing Dead concert that we had seen 40 years earlier in Barton Hall. We hadn’t spoken since that show, but as of the ‘virtual celebration,’ we have connected and have been living together ever since in NYC and Annapolis, Maryland, which is a super cool town on the water for music and retired hippies!

Thank you, Ned Lagin, for your great music, and for being a Wheatley alum! Robin Brinn ‘69”

The Graduates

1961 - The Girls of Summer - At Gatsby’s Landing - Roslyn, NY - July, 2024

Top Row - L-R - Carol Matlick Rosen, Chicca (Henni Young) D’Agostino, Carol Jalonack Blum, Jeanne Messing Sommer

Bottom Row - L-R - Camille Napoli Cannizzo, Jill Davidson Blaney, Judy Schaffel Rubin

1961 - Peter Calderon - 2024 Spanish Champion in Veterans Epee and Saber (Silver in foil!) 70+

In 2022 Peter acquired Spanish nationality in his capacity as a descendent of Jews expelled from Spain at the end of the 15th century.

1961 - Jerome Mintz - Musical Mother

Writes Jerry - Many Wheatley students studied piano with my mother, Ouida Mintz. We published the book, "My Friend Lenny," that was featured in the previous Wheatley Alumni Newsletter, so we have many copies of it. I met Leonard Bernstein many times with my mother at Tanglewood. My Friend Lenny

I also used to talk to Paul Simon when I was still a student at Wheatley. More recently, he bought the vinyl demos he made with my mother or of her songs. 

Robert Halper - 1965 - rph3547@gmail.com - Writes:

In 1956 The Wheatley School opened its doors to students living in Old Westbury, Roslyn Heights, East Williston, Albertson, and Mineola. Previously, these students would have attended Mineola, Roslyn, New Hyde Park Memorial or Westbury High School.

Wheatley was an exciting destination, offering superior salaries and a direct link to Harvard’s School of Education: it became — almost overnight — a unique educational environment with an outstanding faculty. I attended the University of Wisconsin—no academic backwater—and Wheatley’s teachers rivaled Wisconsin’s professors. While Wheatley’s instructors deserve the many accolades they have received, let us not forget our earliest educators, our elementary school teachers. They taught us to read and write and think. And their reward? Coping with the sudden onslaught of our hormonal changes. Six years at North Side or Willets Road paid for a one-way ticket to Wheatley. And since Middle School had yet to replace junior high, 7^th grade was the start of six incredible years. Before crossing that threshold, however, two outstanding mentors made my final years at North Side among my most memorable.

5^th Grade. Miss Berlow. An excellent teacher. Smart. Warm. Captivating. She brought me out of my shell and nurtured the intellectual in me. She also—through no fault of her own—played the lead role in an impressionable 11-year old’s unrealistic romantic fantasies. While I had always enjoyed school, Miss Berlow added a new dimension. Hustling off to North Side in the morning now became an opportunity to engage in forbidden reveries. And as each month of the school year flowed into the next, my fantasies only became more robust. But I was no fool. I knew I needed at least another seven years to be a serious contender. Would she wait? Shortly before school adjourned for the summer the answer arrived. With no advance warning, Miss Berlow delivered her fateful, crushing announcement. While she would indeed be returning to North Side the following year, it would not be as “Miss Berlow.” She was engaged to be married. Devastation reigned down upon my heart. How could this be happening? Surely she knew I was in love with her. As I silently shook my head in disbelief, I was forced to acknowledge that, after all, she probably hadn’t a clue. Had Mary Kay Letourneau been my 5^th grade teacher perhaps things might have been different. But she wasn’t. Miss Berlow was. So it behooved me to abandon my futile fantasies and get my sorry ass to 6^th grade.

6^th Grade. Mr. Ellman. No Miss Berlow, but a stand-up guy. Intelligent. Gregarious. A terrific teacher who cared deeply about his students. And he knew how to teach. How to make an impact. Lecturing in front of the class one day he suddenly stopped talking and bolted toward the door. As it slammed behind him, the class was left to sit in stunned silence. But it didn’t take long before the guessing began. As wild notions escalated and students began to roam the classroom, Ellman returned. He instructed us to take our seats, find a pen or pencil, and compose a succinct statement outlining what had just occurred. Ten minutes later he collected our work and proceeded to read each out loud. Many offered wildly disparate portrayals: Ellman had grasped his heart before dashing for the door; a large explosion had been heard in the hall; beginning to stutter he had quickly left the room. Although we had all witnessed the same event, no two accounts were the same. Without further discussion, Mr. Ellman thanked us for our participation, dismissed the class, and told us to think about it. Sixty-five years later, I still do.

Next up: Wheatley. Seiderman. Doig. Loring. Ouchi. Thomas. Meisel. Rosenstein. Wheeler. Pagliaro. Six years of excellent instructors with a few duds thrown in to keep things honest. A rousing send-off to college and an educational gift that has kept on giving.”

1967 - Art Engoron - Trying his best to look cool.

Art Engoron and his 2024 Judicial Summer Interns (one of whom is a Wheatley Student)

1967 -Jill Simon Forte - “My most important accomplishment at Wheatley was meeting Bob Forte (1965) 😁……59 years ago, if you count dating in Wheatley, but married 57 years, with two kids and six grandkids……great years. And now, because of the Newsletter, I have been in touch with other old friends .. so much fun. 🤩”

1968 - Lynn Shilkret Goldstein-Penland - Deceased

On May 15, 2024, in Tampa, Florida, Lynn passed away as the result of a traffic accident. She graduated from the University of Maryland and Baltimore Law School, and she worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency of the Department of Justice prior to retiring.

1969-1968 - Christopher “Chris” Srinivasan/Vasan - Deceased

The Kinks - “Days”

Writes Rosemary Vasan - “Dear Arthur, Our beloved Chris passed away a month ago, on June 23rd. He was to be discharged on June 24th, but in the last 40 hours there were complications that took him away from us. My daughter, Kiera Beth, and I lost a devoted father and husband. We are devastated.

Kiera Beth Vasan (Chris and Rosemary’s daughter) Writes - “My Dad fought with everything he had. Until he couldn’t anymore and then he went peacefully knowing how loved he was!

I don’t know how to live without him. But as I mourn the future that we’ve been robbed of, I find some comfort in knowing that even though he can’t physically be here, he will live in my heart forever (and get to watch every milestone from the best seat in the house).

Dad, it’s an honor to be your daughter. I would not trade the 29 years we had together, for a lifetime with anyone else. It is a privilege to know that we shared unconditional love and a bond that will stand the test of time. You are the greatest loss of my life 🤍

A heartfelt thank you to anyone who has prayed, reached out, given advice, or offered any encouragement or support this past month.

It was a devastating turn of events after what we all thought would be Dad “getting out of Dodge,” but it gives my Mom and me so much comfort to know we are sharing the heavy load of grief with so many people. We are eternally grateful for our village!”

Writes James “Jimmy” Seaton (1967) - I’m deeply saddened that Chris Vasan [Srinivasan] passed away.  In addition to his own original class of ’69, he was an honorary member of the Classes of ’66, ’67, and ’68.  Just about everyone who went to Wheatley in the mid- to late-60’s will have their own vivid memories of Chris.  With his leather jacket; distinctive head of hair; hilarious and rapid-fire sense of humor; radiant smile that lit up his face and brought joy to all those around him; flair for practical jokes; lively interest in talking with anyone and everyone he encountered; and penchant for taking long walks around the community, he cut an unmistakable and highly visible, seemingly ever-present figure.   As distinctive, memorable and resolutely independent and rebellious as James Dean, but without the alienation or anger.  And, unlike Dean, Chris had a cause…indeed several, beginning with bringing joy, laughter and comfort to his family, friends, and colleagues.  

Those of us lucky enough to have been given the gift of Chris’ love and friendship loved him back with a special warmth and fervor (that was how Chris used to sign off from our calls; before I’d even said “goodbye” or “I love you,” he’d say, “Love you right back”).  He was a force of nature, as necessary, sui generis, elemental, and ever-changing as the weather or the ocean’s waves.  Indeed, speaking for myself, as I write this, it seems impossible that he could be gone.  So impossible, that I don’t actually believe it: he’s still here, still in all our hearts and memories: lover, jokester, father, uncle, friend; cousin, brother, counselor...a crowd of presences.

There are many thousands of memorable Chris Stories, a kaleidoscope of hilarious, heartfelt, and heartening adventures and anecdotes.  

Chris’ family and close friends will be holding a celebration of his life on December 7^th (the eve of his birthday), and we would like to collect and share the best of these stories with all those who loved him.  If you have a favorite story of Chris, we hope you’ll let us know.  If you’ve written it down, you can email it to his wife, Rosemary, at rosemaryvasan@gmail.com or to me at jaseaton@yahoo.com.  

But don’t feel that you have to write it all out.  You’re welcome to call me at 301-518-6543.  I’d love to catch up with you, and I’ll be happy to take notes and write your story of Chris up on everyone’s behalf.  You’ll have full editorial control of the result.

We’ll read and/or listen to a few of the best and most celebratory stories at the memorial service in December; and, afterward, we’ll send everyone who contributes a compendium of everyone’s memories.

Writes Art Engoron (1967) - Chris was distinct and memorable. Wearing his black leather jacket and motorcycle boots, he used to sit on the grass at the north west corner of Roslyn and I. U. Willets Roads and watch our world go by. What I wouldn’t give to know what he was thinking?! He and I had lunch in Manhattan a year or so ago, and he hadn’t lost any of his charm and enthusiasm, making his passing last month almost inconceivable. According to my records, he’s responsible for the greatest Wheatley quote of all time: “Not only did Wheatley make a difference in our lives, it made it possible for us to make a difference in other people's lives.” Top that!!!

1970 - Mitchel Shapiro - Help with Hearing

Writes Mitch - “I’m banking on everyone’s support to help me raise the bar for the Help America Hear Scholarship.

My wife, Donna, and I will be riding a tandem bike 100 miles in Amherst, MA on Saturday, August 3^rd to raise funds for the Colleen Scarsbrick Help America Hear Scholarship fund. We would appreciate contributions in any amount, starting at $10, $20, $100 or more to help us reach our goal of $10,000 while we peddle hard for 100 miles.

The link is www.helpamericahear.org/bike-100

Please encourage your friends, family and others to donate and send this message along to their friends. Donna & I greatly appreciate your support in this endeavor!

Help America Hear is celebrating its 20^th year serving the hearing-loss community.  Our Scholarship is one component of what we do. The Scholarship provides 10 high school seniors with hearing loss, who are going to college, a financial stipend and a pair of Resound hearing aids.”

1989 - Alex Tisch - With an Old (1967) Friend

Fan Mail

1965 (Jeffrey Orling) - “Art, These newsletters are the cat's meow. Thank you!”

1965 (Martha Weissberg) - “Thank you for the gifts that you somehow manage to keep coming.”

1966 (Bette Spiro Neuman) - “Sharing memories is fun. Thanks for running the Newsletter.”

1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - “Well, as usual, another fun read. Names that bring me back to younger days.”

1968 (Joel Blumenthal) - “Art, I can’t believe the frequency with which you are cranking out the Newsletters……but more importantly, the CONTENT just gets better and better. Keep it up! Thanks, Joel”

1968 (Andrew “Drew” Orione) - “Thanks for doing the Newsletters. I greatly enjoy them.”

1969 (Robin Brinn) - “Thanks for the great alumni Newsletter.”

1970 (Mitch Shapiro) - “Art, I finally got to read the past three Newsletters……such great stories……all of them…….seeing so many alumni come out of the woods is great.”

1971 (Linda Pinter Edelman) - “I love getting the Newsletters, and I look forward to many more of them.”

1973 (Bob Valicenti) - “Thank you for all that you do!”

1976 (Larry Copeland) - “Thanks for all your work on the Newsletters.  It's remarkable that you keep them coming so regularly.”

Closing

That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 167.  Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.

Art

Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967

WHEATLEYALUMNI@AOL.COM

ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM

WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG

646-872-4833