The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 144
Glad News and Sad News
Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,
Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 144.
According to Substack, in the first 24 hours after publication, Newsletter # 143 was viewed 3,228 times, was “liked” 16 times, and received five comments. In all, 4,738 email addresses received Newsletter # 143. For all of March, Wheatley Newsletters were accessed approximately 13,400 times.
All underlined text is a link-to-a-link (or, occasionally, an email address). Clicking anywhere on underlined text, and then clicking on the link that pops up, will get you to your on-line destination (or 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 143 Newsletters (and much other Wheatley data and arcana) at
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 use it frequently; it works usually!
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
San Francisco Bay Area Wheatley Reunion
The Third Annual (?) Unofficial San Francisco Bay Area Wheatley Reunion
Potluck—TTA(?)USFBAWRP-- will be held Sunday May 26, 2024, 12:30 - 4:00, in
my Berkeley back yard. Planning to attend are Peter Siegel (’66), Roy
Nierenberg (’63), Barry Gordon (’65), and Rich Weissman (‘72.) Interested
Wildcats, please email me at larros99@gmail.com.
‘Hood History
Writes Beth “Betty”Davidson (1959) - “ I have to comment on Super Drug, at the Albertson Train Station. I remember hanging out there eating French fries and drinking Cokes. It was so much fun! Bob Martin (’59) took me there when I first moved to Roslyn Heights right before Wheatley opened in the fall of ’56. Bob Martin and I went to First Grade together at PS 193 in Brooklyn, and our families remained friends after the Martins moved to the Roslyn Country Club. When I graduated from Junior High in Brooklyn and moved to Roslyn Heights, Bob was the only one I knew, and he introduced me to some of the people who became my best friends at Wheatley.”
Writes Rick Jalonack (1966) - “The Newsletter brings up long-forgotten memories. I had forgotten about the 4-store strip mall at the Albertson LIRR Station. For my 11th grade at Wheatley, I lived on I. U. Willits Road near Herricks High School, but I continued at Wheatley. In the summer, when I trained for football, I would ride my bike past those stores on my way to practice. I always stopped for a Coke in both directions. Funny what you remember.”
Writes Jane Colchamiro Schlanger (1967) - “Jimmy Paley (1964) was correct. Super Drug was right before the train tracks on I. U. Willets Road, coming from the Willets Road School and crossing over Roslyn Road. I remember feeling all grown up when I was allowed to walk to Super Drug and to take the bus to Roosevelt Field from the bus stop on I.U. Willets and Roslyn Road. Jimmy lived on the corner of I.U. Willets and Roslyn Road. I lived on Percheron, right behind Jimmy’s house. We are related by marriage. Jimmy’s father’s sister was married to my father’s brother.”
Writes Judith Oppenheim Darrah (1972) - “I remember the candy store across the tracks at the Albertson LIRR station. The door was angled across the corner. I remember the candy bar collection was huge. I also remember flattening pennies on the tracks.
The store on the other (north) side was a supermarket that became the public library, which was later moved to Shelter Rock. All the talk about the ‘S’ Section brings back so many memories. Three hills to ride our bikes down (without holding the handlebars and standing up on the pedals). Shelter, Snapdragon, and Shepherd Lanes were the best. We went sledding in the woods by the train tracks and played in the park.
I think I have a couple of old Ranchers - the phone book for the whole Roslyn Country Club. If I dig them up I’ll take pics for anyone who wants to download them.”
CORRECTED Partial List of Wildcats at Carnegie Tech/Carnegie Mellon (sorry for the earlier errors of inclusion and exclusion)
Judkoff Popolow, Patricia 1958 (Deceased)
Jalonack Blum, Carol 1961
Brautigam Carter, Betsy 1965
Gordon, Barry 1965
Levine, Andrea 1965 (Deceaed)
Orling, Jeffrey 1965
Bregman, Judy 1967
Janowitz, Ken 1967
Summers, Andy 1967
Bernstein, Alan 1968
Fromm, Mark 1969
Goldsmith, Bruce 1970
Oppenheim Darrah, Judith 1972
Struhl, Cliff 1974 (“Great school. Loved Pittsburgh”)
Tibrewala, Neal 1994
Jain, Arihant 2016
Administration
Principal Joseph Wiener and 1967 Graduate Art Engoron - Career Day, April 5, 2024
Staff
Wes Berkowitz (Guidance Counselor, 1979-2012) and Deborah Giman Berkowitz (1977)
Wes and Debbie married on July 14, 2019.
Graduates
1967 - Linda Caterino Kulhavy - Granddaughter is in the Movies.
Writes Linda - “Dear Arthur, I’m letting the Wheatley community know about my granddaughter’s first movie. Of course, I’m so proud that Alessandra MK Caterino (her stage name) was cast as Emma in The Weight of Darkness. It’s a horror/mystery film scheduled to come out around Halloween, 2024. The movie has a great director, Marc Furmie. It features Doug Jones (who is in many Guillermo del Toro films, such as Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, and is also in Hocus Pocus), Jaime King (White Chicks, Pearl Harbor, Blow, Sin City), Angus McFayden (Robert the Bruce of Braveheart), Corbin Bernsen (LA Law, Psych), and Angus Benfield (an Australian actor who starred in A Christmas Letter). I was on set most of the time, supervising her and was asked to be an extra. It was an amazing experience. It’s fascinating to see how movies are made.
The film has a Facebook page and an Instagram link. https://www.instagram.com/theweightofdarkness.movie?igsh=MTgzZG93NXk0cTlsNg==
This is Alessandra’s first movie. She just turned ten. She did have a small role on Call Me Kat, playing a young Mayim Bialik two years ago.
(If I’m asked for my bio, I’m planning to put the evil queen in Snow White in first grade, and Rebecca in Our Town in 7th grade. My thanks to Northside and Wheatley!)
L-R Alessandra MK Caterino, Jaime King”
1967 - Art Engoron - On the Rocks
Climbing at the Central Rock Gym, 21 West End Avenue, April 2, 2024
1974 - Scot Feld - “Reading Newsletter # 143 reminds me of the milk machine on the corner of Sheridan Blvd. and Jericho Tpk. diagonally across from the Sheridan Bowling Alley, on the corner of the Shell gas station. The unattended machine sold a glass quart bottle of milk for a quarter - $0.25. I used to walk or ride my bicycle there, and doing so made me think I was so mature.”
1985 - Terri Starr Lipkin - Special Then and Now
Writes Wes Berkowitz (Staff-Guidance) - “I had the pleasure of FaceTiming today with Terri Starr (now Lipkin) from the Wheatley Class of 1985. We had time to catch up on life, family and, of course, Wheatley. She is as special today as she was decades ago. ❤️. This is her with her husband Daryl.”
1987 - Jason Volz - Deceased - Shoved onto Train Tracks and Killed
“The straphanger who was shoved to his death in a random attack at an East Harlem subway station was ‘compassionate’ and ‘generous to a fault,’ his family told The Post this week.
Jason Volz, 54, who remained in the Big Apple after the rest of his family moved to Florida last year, had been working as a carpenter when he was killed Monday evening, his uncle, Eddie Volz, said on Wednesday.
‘He had a very big heart and was a very compassionate person, especially when it came to helping other people,’ he said. ‘He would give his time and help people.’
Death of Jason Volz, Class of 1987
Jason Volz The KillinRemembered
From his Daughter's Perspective
2009 - Amanda Hartman Ryan - Photogenic
Amanda and Art Engoron
Amanda and husband Patrick Ryan
The Three of us at Patsy’s Restaurant, 236 West 56th Street, April 3, 2024
Fan Mail
1959 (Beth “Betty”Davidson) - “Thanks for continuing to do all you do to keep this newsletter going, Art!”
1965 (Robert Gregory) - “Good Morning, Art - I appreciate your endeavor to keep Wheatley graduates together and well informed and to rekindle our memories. Kudos to you.”
1965 (Clifford Montgomery) - “Another great edition, Arthur. Thank you for the great memories. ❤️”
1966 (Richard Jalonack) - ❤️
1972 (Judith Oppenheim Darrah) - “Art, the newsletter is fantastic. Thank you for being ‘The Mayor of Wheatley.’”
1978 (Valerie Gomes) - “Thanks, Art, Great to see your photos and the photo of Suellyn Karben Giserman. She was my favorite next-door neighbor on Latham Lane in East Williston, and she and my sister, Donnis Gomes Newman (1972) were great friends. I appreciate this labor of love. Val Gomes”
Closing
That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 144. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.
Art
Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967
646-872-4833
Good pic of you climbing the climb, Art. You gotta stay in shape these days!