The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 232

Featuring Members of the Classes of 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1972

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 232,

Luncheon Commentary

What a great Wheatley turnout! I recall classmates from our ancient past: with a shout out and hugs to 1963: Donna Kenton, Liz Stone, Marcia Friedman~ all looking so healthy, and Jon Bragdon, Mark Luria, and some family connections: Samberg, Gershen, Kay; and, of course, our forever Master Host, Art, who with Keith Aufhauser (1963), keep us connected. My 1963 Yearbook was lost by 1964~ so my memory must serve me. Thank You!

Good to see you all ~ Joan Hennessy Syms

Graduates

1965 - 60th-Year Reunion Photo

L-R - Judy Lutrin Sidran, Linda Sherry, Barbara Ashley, Arden Aibel Rothstein, Jane Wild Carrel, Ann Greenberg

1964 + 1965 (Andrea Alpert Robbins, 1964) - Great to see my cousin, Hank Alpert (1965), at a happy occasion!”

1966 - Amy Gruskin Gerstein - “My husband and I were in Potomac, Maryland at the bar mitzvah celebration for my youngest grandson. That’s me in the middle, next to my husband of 57 years, with our three sons, their wives, and our nine grandkids. Regards to all!”

Graduates

1965 - Larry Rosenthal - Content in California

1967 - Art Engoron - At the recent (10/4/25) Wheatley School Class of 1965 60th-Year Reunion, Peter Till (1965) delivered what he later called “Incredibly Generous Kind Words From the Class of 1965.”

“Just a moment’s perspective on behalf of The Wheatley School Class of 1965. In very good years, it is easy to be thankful: for family, for friends, for a country humming along. It’s the lean years that require real work.

And yet, there are reasons to be grateful. So, permit me a moment to give long overdue attention to Arthur Engoron.

Arthur, your extraordinary service to The Wheatley School and its alumni may now be best defined by the old maxim, “the exalted will be humbled and the humbled will be exalted.” Because of that very simple truth … you have and will always be looked upon with well-deserved recognition. Arthur, throughout, you have always wanted all to be part of the human exchange.

Now, here, tonight, it seems like almost yesterday, when unavoidably addressing the years that have passed, everyone agrees that this bucolic setting - The Wheatley School - was ‘home.’ ‘Home’ isn’t always regarded as a radiant happy place …… but even with our 60 years now acknowledged …… the memories of faculty, friends and certainly our parents and siblings remain prominent. Those recollections wash over us. However, Arthur, what is so prominent is that you have undertaken the task of recording and preserving all this history, allowing us to continue to recall the tradition of The Wheatley School.

By yourself and with your gentle hand, many have now been afforded the unfettered opportunity to ‘report’ and ‘share’ and ‘renew.’ Many others, who did not find it necessary to report, were then allowed vicariously to remain on the sidelines absorbing the recollections of others. But through it all, you have barely taken a moment to set down your own memories, unselfishly deferring the print space to everyone else.

Every publication has a back page filled with remarks literally cheering you on. While those cheers to your efforts are so very genuine, what they mostly accomplish for just a moment is to allow the remembering of childhood memories on Long Island, at The Wheatley School. You have afforded an opportunity for the recollection of history.

Arthur, this unselfish service deserves recognition tonight and always.

So, ladies and gentlemen, kindly allow me to bestow the gratitude of the Wheatley School Class of 1965 upon

The pride of East Williston

And the pride of the Wheatley School

I give you…

ARTHUR ENGORON”

Art Engoron Responds - Aw, shucks. I hope that my publishing this, with Peter’s permission , does not contradict the part about my “unselfishly deferring the print space to everyone else.” Well, anyway …… this edition needed some filler.

1972 - Jo Ann Bregman Miles - “Hello Art! The Veronica Beard Charity event (see below) to benefit the Wildlife Center of Long Island is on October 29, 2025.

Meet Huddle a five- day old Green Heron nestling (baby bird).

On the hottest day in July 2022, I rescued Huddle from my yard. A call to Volunteers for Wildlife instructed me to place the bird in a box and keep it in a cool dark place in my house.

Huddle in a Box

I was further instructed to bring Huddle to the Rehabilitation Hospital early the next morning if the bird survived the night. A sleepless night ensued, with my running down to the basement to check on Huddle. With amusement, I watched myself turn into an anxious ‘Mama bird’ of sorts!

Little did I know that my rescue of this tiny bird would evolve into my becoming a volunteer for Volunteers for Wildlife. My involvement set me on a path to educate the public about the loss of Long Island’s wildlife habitats and the critical efforts to preserve them. Educational outreach took me to schools, camps, nursing homes, and festivals, where our presentations included the organization’s animal Ambassadors, who inspired great interest and a desire to learn about wildlife. Recently, I was invited to join the rebranded Wildlife Center of Long Island’s Board of Directors. I have found my work to be a labor of love. It has been fascinating to learn the story of an injured animal, witness its rehabilitation by our dedicated staff, and experience the exciting release of the animal back into its natural habitat. Our Wildlife Hotline responds to 10,000 calls annually about injured and orphaned wildlife.

After two months, Huddle the Green Heron, was released. It’s hard to believe that a little tiny bird who could fit in my hand would emerge from the Wildlife Center rehabilitation hospital with a wing span of 25 to 27 inches!

Huddle the Green Heron after Rehabilitation and Release

Wildlife Center of Long Island is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation and education center dedicated to the preservation of Long Island’s Wildlife habitats. A recently created Youth Conservation Team engages teens from Long Island in wildlife and conservation study. Team members meet monthly to learn the skills needed to preserve wildlife and practice conservation in a rapidly changing world. “Hands on” activities include beach cleanups and native planting, coupled with pulling out invasive species to maintain wildlife habitats.

If you are interested in helping Long Island’s wildlife, please join me at the Veronica Beard charity event to benefit the Wildlife Center of Long Island. If you are unable to join us in person, there is a 21- day window to call in an order at the Manhasset store: (516) 573-9463. Simply mention my name or The Wildlife Center to ensure your purchase helps preserve Long Island’s magnificent wildlife.

A Blast From the Past

L-R - Meryl Moritz, Elvira (“Vivi”) Cilmi Kunz, Beth Sherwin

Fan Mail - Miscellaneous

1975 (Amy Rothbaum-Patalano) - “Thank you for all everything you do, Art.”

Fan Mail - Wheatley Alumni Luncheon

1966 (Amy Gruskin Gerstein) - “The photographs of the luncheon were awesome. If not for a scheduling conflict (see above), I would have been there!”

1974 (Debra Copeland) - “Thanks for arranging the Alumni luncheon. Was good to meet fellow Wheatleyites - although from vastly different graduation classes.”

1975 (Mark Lubin) - ““Art, thanks for keeping the Wheatley community thriving and together. Your efforts certainly helped make our recent Class of 1975 50th reunion weekend terrific.”

Fan Mail - Class of 1965 60th-Year Reunion

1969 (Jo Anne Newman Abraskin) - “The photographs are awesome of all the people in my sister‘s class! I’m glad that the reunion was such a success, and that everyone had a fabulous time.”

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.

In the first 24 or so hours after publication, the Wheatley School Alumni Newsletter # 231 was viewed 3,798 times and was liked seven times. In all, 4,803 email addresses received Newsletter # 231.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 230 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 # 232. 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