The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 240

California, here we come; Paul "Bick" Keister; Art Engoron; Sally Felton; George Meyer; Group Photos, some with new IDs, all still need IDs

Open Invitation to All Wheatley Wildcats

Gathering in Palm Springs CA in March, 2026 for Class of 1972 and All Other Classes – Everyone Is Invited!

Richard Weissman (1972) Writes:

“Hello All Wheatley Wildcats! You’re all invited to a weekend party at my home in the iconic resort city of Palm Springs, California, hosted by me and my husband, J.D. Horn. We’re picking up the tab for the weekend party, so come join us ...

Everyone is invited, including members of my class (1972) and all other classes, along with spouses/partners/companions.

This is not an ‘official’ reunion, but a fun gathering in our wonderful city. I have already received very good initial interest.

We’ll pick a weekend in March, 2026 (a good time of year to visit Palm Springs) for a Saturday evening catered buffet dinner with champagne and wine, live music, and entertainment, starting at 5:00 pm. The next day, Sunday, we’ll have a poolside party with a catered buffet lunch at 11:00 am going through the late afternoon. Attire will be very casual for both days. If 20 people come, that’s great; if 200 people come, that’s great, too. Again, you are all welcome to join us as our guests as my husband and I are paying for all party costs. Of course, everyone needs to provide their own air travel and accommodations. There are many places to stay at all price points in the city, and getting around Palm Springs with Lyft/Uber is easy. It’s a small city, and the airport (PSP) is right downtown. Our house is only eight minutes from downtown.

We’re in the scenic Andreas Hills neighborhood in Palm Springs, on Avenida Sevilla (just south of downtown), surrounded by mountains with many hiking trails to enjoy the natural beauty of the Southern California desert. Our house was designed for large entertaining and can handle sizable events both indoors and outdoors by the pool, with functions ranging from 50 to 350+ people. To see some photos of a few of the many events we’ve hosted, you can go to my website and look at the ‘Charitable & Political’ page: Events at the Weissman/Horn Home

Next Steps:

Please let me know right away of your interest/thoughts by emailing me directly at rweissman@hotmail.com or through my website contact page at www.richweissman.com. Let me know if there’s anything specific you want/need.

Then, I’ll send out an invitation with the specific weekend date in March, 2026 and a link for RSVP’s, along with information on local hotels and my specific home address.

And, please spread the word to other Wildcats.

P.S.:

We also live in San Francisco (downtown) and at Black Butte Ranch (Central Oregon in the Cascade Mountains), and have a vacation lodging in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico). If you live in any of those areas, let me know and we can connect at those locations.

With love,

Rich (aka Richard) Weissman

Class of 1972 (but graduated in 1971 and not in the 1972 yearbook)

Attended North Side grades 1-6, and then Junior and Senior High at Wheatley

Residences: Palm Springs, San Francisco, Black Butte Ranch (Central Oregon)

Email: rweissman@hotmail.com

Cell: 503.250.4545

Website: www.richweissman.com

Graduates

1960 - Paul (“Bick”) Keister - Deceased

Paul/Bick himself wrote (reprint from Wheatley Alumni Association Newsletter # 93):

“My father was the Sports Editor of the New York Post, which back then had one of the largest circulations of any newspaper in the Nation. His press pass got us into any sporting event that he wanted to attend, as the venue hoped for good coverage. He also owned his own advertising agency.

His passing at a relatively early age changed my whole life. I would have attended William & Mary (dad’s school), but I had to go to William & Mary, Norfolk Division, which became Old Dominion University when W&M divested itself of the college. That was so I could live with his older brother, who was wonderful and a bachelor (until he married at 63 years of age!). His help and guidance was wonderful, but I still had to work my way through college, as my mom did not make enough money to pay for it and raise my sister and brother. It took me seven years to graduate, including my time in the army (as I did not take a full load of classes one semester due to having to work a full time job!)”

Carol Keister McCormick (1962) Writes - Art, My brother, Paul (“Bick”) Keister, Class of 1960, passed away on Thursday, November 13, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, with his wife, Betsy, by his side. He is survived by Betsy, three sons (Paul, Matthew, and Tyler) and four grandchildren. He was always the life of the party, and had many good Wheatley friends he kept in touch with. He was a wonderful brother, and I will miss him terribly.”

Paul Hennessy (1960) Writes - “Art, I am very sorry to hear of Paul Keister’s passing.

Bick was a unique individual, a social animal, always planning some gathering or get-together. He was the son of a ‘Little All-American’ football player who attended William and Mary College, became a NY Post sports columnist/editor with access to ALL the sports heroes of the time (Mantle, Dimaggio, Ted Williams, etc.) some of whom he interviewed AT the Keister’s East Williston home. Imagine the nuclear teen-age excitement generated by that!!!😂😁

Bick was, indeed, the life of many parties —frequently held in the historic red barn in his backyard, which was also the headquarters of our class’s notorious, irrepressible ‘Spartan Club.’ What a perfect gathering place for our lucky class of ‘60! 🍺✌️ I’m guessing his iconic barn was the only one in the Wheatley school district (?) 🤔☘️ certainly the site of more social gatherings than any place else in our era.

Bicky’s nickname was ‘Handy Man,’ after the song describing the social facilitating that only ‘the handy man can.’ 😂🤪

I have so many fond memories of Bick, from visiting the Keister family’s farm with him and brother Corky Keister (1967), to tooling around—Rock ‘n Roll at full blast—in what I remember as his white Chevy Impala.

Bicky was a major personality in our class, someone who greatly contributed to enhancing the fun we had at Wheatley.

He was an unforgettable character, a lively, warm and generous friend to all who were blessed to know him.”

Best, Paul Hennessy

1967 - Art Engoron - A Few Years Ago - Pretending to be hard at work,

1968 - Sally Felton and Wendy Woods

Sally painted this portrait of Wendy when they were 16.

1968 - Sally Felton - Remembered by Wendy Woods (1968)- “Sally was a dear friend of mine while I attended Wheatley. She was a very talented artist who opened my appreciation of art by accompanying me to many museums in NYC and giving me art drawing lessons as well as painting my portrait. She and I shared many experiences during our time at Wheatley, discussing books, current events, and the cliques of our peers, who often excluded those not part of “The In Crowd.” I accompanied her to her horseback riding activities and the Roslyn School of painting, and we shared our Beatle and rock music obsessions. We went on double dates with our high school crushes and to the prom. I visited her at her art college in Philadelphia, and we kept in touch even when she studied art in Italy.

After marrying the love of her life in Italy, she moved to Costa Rica, where she became a famous portrait painter and taught art and art history as a Professor and lecturer. I lost contact with her after her family moved away, and we both moved on with our lives. She was low-key at Wheatley, having moved into the school district in High School, and having been rather shy. She and I were supportive kindred spirits. We kept each other sane, intellectually challenged, and creatively engaged. Our sense of humor kept us sane though our years at Wheatley.”

Sally Felton (1968) - Remembered by a Non-Wheatley Friend - “Hi Art, I know very little about Sally Felton’s life prior to our first meeting, which was probably on or about 1 June 1984. By that time, she had already been living in Costa Rica for at least 11 years. She spoke fondly of her time in Italy, but was mostly mum about her earlier days in the US (and I am not one to pry). She was approximately 34-years-old when we first met. I know the names of Sally’s parents—-Mark and Susan (née Jeffries) Felton—-but not much beyond that. My impression (from Sally’s rare comments) is that her father was stern and demanding. I did, ultimately, meet her mother (more on that later). I do not recall Sally ever mentioning siblings; however, a “classmate” alluded to a “younger sister.” My wife, who was much closer to Sally than I was, may have known something about this, but she passed a year after Sally (and of the same ailment).

We also never met Sally’s Costa Rican husband, one Rodrigo Barahona, because they divorced (after 10 years of marriage) in 1983. Their marriage was childless. Sally got the house, as they say, in the divorce settlement—-a rather nice house in an older but upscale neighborhood on the north edge of San José. This was the house that we rented from her, for a brief period during the second half of 1984. The house was available because Sally had hooked up with another guy, an expat from southmost Texas named Melvin Baker, and she was spending most of her time at his place (a cacao farm on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica). She must have been pregnant when we first met, because her daughter, Selva Baker, was born about 7 months later.

Sally Felton and her daughter Selva - October 19, 1992

Mel and Sally separated amicably at some point in the mid-90’s (as far as I know they were never actually married), and Sally remained single after that. After the separation, Selva lived mainly with her mother, in San José. Selva is pure Costa Rican, born and raised there, and has never lived in the US and likely never will (though she is fluent in English and has visited the US several times). She was Sally’s only child.

We last saw Sally during a family vacation in Costa Rica in March/April 2013. At that time, Sally was living in a house she had purchased (or was renting?) in Santa Ana, a mid-sized town west of San José. We stayed there with her for a few days, at the beginning and end of our travels about the country. Selva was then living in the house in San José that we had once rented, but came out to visit us, particularly our son Jeff (who also was born in Costa Rica and has known Selva since he was 4). It was on this occasion that we finally met Sally’s mother, Susan. Her husband had died (no idea exactly when), leaving her alone in the US, and she had moved to Costa Rica to be cared for by Sally during her final years (I realize this begs the question of the ‘younger sister,’ but I haven’t the answer). Susan must have been pushing 90 when we met her. She could not have expected that she would be predeceased by her daughter, but that is the way it turned out.

At some point in 2017, Sally was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, as was my wife later that same year. This is an especially pernicious cancer because it presents few if any symptoms until it is too late. Sally passed on 24 July 2018, my wife about a year afterward. Chemotherapy compromises the immune system of cancer victims, and frequent visits to medical facilities expose them to infectious microbes, so cancer itself may not be the ultimate cause of death. Sepsis claimed my wife, and while I was not present when Sally passed and am not privy to her death certificate, my recollection is that she had contracted pneumonia while in hospital. Mercifully, I suppose, Sally’s mom Susan died (in San José) just a month after her daughter. That must have been an unbelievably difficult time (both emotionally and logistically) for Selva, though I have never communicated with her directly about any of this.

Sally was a strong and independent person, who lived in the present and was always busy with one project or another. She had little money, and was forever struggling to make ends meet. She worked as a teacher for quite some time (at the same school attended by Selva, at least for a while). Her expenses were not extravagant, but she had a house to maintain (two, later in life), and a funky old Land Rover that was always breaking down. I tried to help her out, on my frequent trips to Costa Rica, by renting a room in her house (rather than a hotel room) at competitive rates paid from whatever grant I had at the time. She also rented rooms to other individuals. Her house was filled with her own colorful artwork. I have two of Sally’s original paintings (pastels, I think) in my living room in St. Louis; both depict horses, probably Sally’s own (from when she lived on the farm), and were gifted by her to my wife. I am not surprised that Sally had ‘lost contact’ with folks back on Long Island. She was living in a different world, and she was fully immersed in her life.

1969 - George Meyer - Wonders in Wood

George Writes - “Hi Art, Just the other day, I realized that I had something that might stir some memories. Wood Shop, 1967 or 1968, not sure. These have sat next to my bed for as long as I can remember. All the best, George Meyer 69”

From the Archives - Several ‘50s-’60s Classes in 2016 - Help Still Wanted

L-R - Floor - Marcia Friedman Mayer (1963), Leslie Schiller Fisher (1963), Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963), Nancy Kurshan (1961), Jeanne Messing (1961), Deborah Crane (formerly “Krane”) (1963), Kathy Chaikin (1963), Leonard (“Lenny”) Symons (1961)

Chairs - Linda Erdmann Brody (1963), Susan Gross (1963), Maida Holzman (1963), Arthur Brody (1962), ???, Nan Bauer-Maglin (1959), Carol Jalonack Blum (1961), Janet Cohen Eder (1961), Ellen Litwin Fingerman (1964)

Standing - Donna Kenton (1963), Robert Freiman (1962), Mike Jablon (1961), Bettina (guest of David Friedman), Jerry Mintz (1961), David Friedman (1962), Tim Jerome (1961), Joe Iannotti(?), John Kapinos (1962), ???, ???, Margaret Russek (1962), Michael Carillo (1961)(?), Lauren Jacobs (1963), Debby Kerstein Brosowsky (1961), Liz Stone (1963), Merry Orling (1961), Gary Krakauer (1963) or Richard “Dickie” Safft (1961), John Rigrod (1961)

From the Archives - Class of 1966 in 2016- Lots of Help Needed

L-R - Sitting - Gretchen Gersh, Adrienne Lagin(?), Deborah Davis(?), ???, ???, Karen Wattel Arenson, ???, ???, ???

Standing - ???, ???, ???, Ricky Jalonack, ???, Harold Whack, ???, ???, Alison Kent Bermant, ???, ???, ???,???, ???, ???, ???, ???

From the Archives - Class of 1970 in 2016- Lots of Help Needed

L-R - Floor ???, Dana Seman, ???, ???, ???

Chairs - ???, Kenny Ruby, ???, ???, ???, ???, Amy Jacoby Budish(?), Ellen David(?)

Standing - ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Robert Abramowitz(?), ???, Jane Roeder, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???

From the Archives - Class of 1977 in 2016- Lots of Help Needed

L-R - Sitting - ???, ???, Lance Manning(?), ???, ???

Standing - ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Karen Alt Roos(?)

Fan Mail

Faculty (Steve Ehre) - “❤️ I love my Wheatley Newsletter. Just to see the names is special. Thanks, Art. Steve Ehre”

1961 (Janet Geils Eggers) - ❤️

1961 (Deborah Kerstein Brosowsky) - ❤️

1962 (Carol Keister McCormick) “I appreciate all you do to keep Wheatley grads connected.”

1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth) - ❤️ “I always enjoy reading about my class.”

1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️

1965 (Laurel Osrow) - ❤️

1966 (Claude Levy) - ❤️

1971 (Bruce Starr, formerly known as “Bruce Schwartz”) - ❤️

1972 (Jo Ann Bregman Miles) - “As always, a big thank you, Art, for all that you do.”

1972 (Jeffrey Kargman) - ❤️

1972 (Sheri Nathan) - ❤️

1973 (Steve Blumberg) - “Great thanks to Art and everyone else who submits their Wheatley anecdotes. They weave the Wheatley tapestry together. No wonder I’m hearing rumors that CBS CEO David Ellison wants to add the Wheatley alumni chronicle to his media portfolio!❤️.”

1973 (James Pangarliotas) - ❤️

1974 (Bob Berta) - “Keith and Arthur, Thank you for keeping the light burning on all of us who experienced Wheatley first-hand. It was an exceptional time in our lives.”

1976 (Susan Kreutzberger Aird) - “Thanks for your dedication to Wheatley and for the wonderful Newsletters you send out.”

1980 (Todd Cooper) - ❤️

???? (Sally D) - Thank you, Art. With best wishes, Sally D. [[[Sally Danto?]]]

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 238 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 # 240. 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