The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 212

A Performance (tomorrow); Photos; Stories; Etc.

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 212.

Reminder - Wildcat Sings Brazilian Jazz

Susan Davis Pereira (1973) Writes:

SUNDAY, JUNE 29th - SUSAN PEREIRA and SABOR BRASIL at THE JAZZ FORUM

Dear friends,
I'm so happy to be returning to the Jazz Forum with Sabor Brasil! We'll be playing new interpretations of music from Brazil's greatest composers as well as some of my original compositions, and we can't wait to share it all with you at this very cool, intimate club. Hope to see you there!

SABOR BRASIL
Susan Pereira - voice, percussion, (some) piano
Noah Bless - trombone
Steve Sandberg - piano
Michael O'Brien - bass
Vanderlei Pereira - drums

SETS AT 4:00 PM AND 6:00 PM
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
$25 COVER/$10 MINIMUM

*full dinner and drink menu available*

JAZZ FORUM
1 Dixon Lane
Tarrytown, NY 10591
(914) 631-1000

The Jazz Forum

The Jazz Forum is only a ten-minute walk from the Tarrytown Metro North Station, just two blocks from Main Street in Tarrytown.

Susan Davis Pereira - Wheatley Class of 1973

Class of 1965 60th-Year Reunion

The Class of 1965 will be having a 60th-year reunion on October 4th, 2025, at the Viana Hotel and Spa in Westbury, NY. There is a Wheatley Class of 1965 Facebook page, or you can email me, Louise Kampa Triano (1965), at: ltriano@gmail.com for more info.

The North Side School Fire

Elvira (“Vivi”) Cilmi Kunz Writes - “Hi Art,

Just a short memory of the North Side School fire…..

My neighbor George and I had a morning and lunchtime routine to get to and from school. George would knock on my front door, and I would bolt out of my house to race him to school. I grew up on Brown Street approximately six blocks from North Side. The morning after the fire, George and I raced our usual trek, only to find the school blackened and somewhat demolished. We had no idea of the blaze the night before. We stood at the corner of the field on Downing Street, totally in disbelief. After we were turned away by a school official, we slowly walked home, baffled. Upon arriving home, we tried to explain to my Mom that there was no school. She looked at us with questioning eyes. She had heard nothing official from the school. At first, she did not believe us, but she also knew that I loved school and would not want to miss a day. (I guess that was one of those ‘that’s why I became a teacher, moments‘!)

Anyway, ending up at Wheatley two years earlier than expected gave us an edge when we headed to the high school building for 7th grade. We were not strangers to the ‘Big Building.’

BTW…..Going back to North Side for sixth grade was one of my most enjoyable, memorable experiences, because my teacher was Mr. Robert Foerschner. We became friends for life. I babysat his kids and worked in the East Williston School District Recreation Program with him for many summers, even while in college. He helped me complete my North Side experience with great direction, empowering me to look forward to the rest of my education. He was instrumental in advising me to pursue my love of education. I still admire him. When I heard of his passing, I was saddened, because he was a man who made a difference in our world. We need men like him.”

Malcolm McNeill (1965) Writes - “Hi Art, I enjoyed the recollections of the North Side fire in the newsletter. I was in fourth grade, Mrs. Mingus' class, and I had decided to learn to play the trumpet. The night of the fire my parents and I went over to Hillside Avenue across from the school and witnessed the firemen doing their work. My Uncle Henry Hill was a volunteer fireman with the East Williston Fire Department, and he was out there where "the rubber meets the road." In time, he would become Chief of the EWFD, along with his work as one of the top partners of Price Waterhouse & Co. As for me, I was quoted in Newsday lamenting the loss of my trumpet (which I'd left at school) and my precious gold fish. But it was one hell of a fire!”

Wheatley’s Early Years

Howard L. Cohen (1958) Writes - “Art, A few remarks on recent posts in Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters:

Issue # 209 (June 9, 2025): The front page of The Wildcat’s Roar (March 13, 1958) featured a photograph of Barbara Newman (Class of 1958) posing for a Spring Fashion Show. An Editor’s Note asked if that was really her in the photo, and she answered, ‘Yep. Just another day at the office.’

I, too, can confirm that Barbara (‘Babs’) Newman was the model, as I took the photo at her home, and I still have a copy if that issue. (See photo of the entire first page, above.)

The last page of the issue contained an article that Melvin Cohen (my brother) wrote about the basketball team, including a team photo that I also took.

I still have the original negative. (See annotated photo, above.) Robert Schnipper (1958), who helped the team win the Division Three Championship, has long hung a copy in his Jacksonville Eye Center!

Issue # 205 (May 21, 2025): An article by Jodi Koelsch, ‘Another Set of Triplets - And Nine Sets of Twins - In the Class of 2014,’ caught my eye, as I was a Wheatley Twin. In fact, with my fraternal brother Melvin (often called ‘Moe’ back then), we were the first Wheatley Twins. He was, as our mother told us, twelve minutes older.

Mel was many inches taller than me and very sports-minded. He was often a loud, joking, wisecracking individual who never seemed to know when to stop. Outsiders sometimes did not believe that we were brothers!

Unfortunately, Mel died in 2006 from complications due to the dreadful consequences of PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease). Although Mel and I differed in many ways, we were a perfect tissue match, and he lived more than eighteen years with my donated kidney. His perseverance through the agony and tribulations of this disease made me realize my twin was the bravest man that I have ever known, a true hero and idol in the eyes of family and friends.

So, I guess this makes me the oldest living Wheatley Twin.”

Graduates

1958 - The Amazing Kritzler Family

Amy Jacoby Budish (1970) Writes - “My family lived right next door to Gert, Sidney and their three children- Mary, Eddie (1958), and Helen (1960) Kritzler. I could fill a whole issue of the Newsletter with tales from the Kritzler household! I’m glad that Elizabeth Stone Matho (1963) reminded me about Sid’s back sliding game for the neighborhood kids.

I’ll share just one of my favorite Kritzler memories: Sidney would often wander over to our house and plop himself down at our kitchen table to chat. My parents enjoyed those visits, but there was a catch - my mom kept a large bowl filled with unshelled nuts on the table, and while Sid pontificated about the world, he would attack those nuts with the nutcracker, and by the time he finished his coffee and departed, we were left with a small mountain of nutshells and shell pieces that escaped and landed on the floor. Needless to say, my mom wasn’t thrilled about the post-visit cleanups. One day, after one of those experiences , we came up with the idea of carefully prying open all of the unopened nutshells and replacing the innards with ‘fortunes.’ I don’t remember the wording for all of them, but they were variations on the theme of ‘He who cleans up his nutshells will gain fame and good luck!’ Needless to say, we anxiously awaited his next visit, and it didn’t take long! We stood nearby as he chatted away and began the cracking; a puzzled expression crossed his face, and then he laughed as he realized what we had done! I don’t think it changed his cracking behavior, but it sure cracked us up!!
Best,
Amy”

1961 - Michael Harvey and Mark Luria - Football Buddies

L-R - Michael Harvey and Mark Luria - A few years ago.

Peter Calderon (1961) Writes - “Mark Harvey was a star half back on Wheatley’s football team. Mark Luria was very strong; I didn’t stand a chance when I arm-wrestled him with either hand! The Wheatley band played at the home games to animate the team and the crowd. I don’t recall the cheerleaders, but they must have been there. I normally played Trumpet in Mr. Pearson’s band, but I played the tuba at the football games.

For my 10th birthday, in 1953, my Dad bought 4 tickets to Yankee Stadium for Mike, Mark, and me to see Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Phil Rizutto in action .

Peter”

1967 and 1969 - Steven Presti and Rhoda Garfinkel - Parents of Sam Presti

Bobby Scandurra (1967) Writes - Judge Artie, Sam Presti, the son of Steven Presti (1967) and Rhoda Garfinkel (1969), is the long-time general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that recently won the Championship of the National Basketball Association. 😊 That is quite an accomplishment, no doubt worthy of the Newsletter!

Check out this video: Sam Presti Interviewed after NBA Championship

Art Engoron (1967) Writes - The New York Times sings Sam Presti’s praises in the following article (‘Presti sculpted a brilliant supporting cast.’).”

NY Times Article About Sam Presti’s OKC Thunder

1969 - James Wallach Writes - “Robin Brinn (1969), you still look great (in Issue # 211). I always had a crush on you.”

1970 - Susan Blumberg Lande - “It always seems that you come out with another Newsletter before I get around to commenting on the last one. So now I'm several issues behind, but here goes...

First, as an aside, I DO find myself wondering how it is that you don't weigh 300 lbs when every photo has you out to dinner?

In Newsletter # 206, Robin Brinn (1969) mentioned that she had written a paper on Hieronymus Bosch for Mr. Seiderman. I also did a ‘project’ on Bosch, complete with a three-hole binder and photos. I had never heard of Bosch before, so perhaps he was a favorite of Mr. Seiderman. I believe I recently threw it away during one of my ‘I need to downsize my crap’ moments. I realized that no one on earth was ever going to want to read it and that my sisters, Jody Blumberg Coletta (1973) and Laurie Blumberg Schwartz (1973) would just consider it one more thing they'd have to throw in the dumpster.

Robin Smerling (1970) was doing a paper on Jacques Louis David at the same time, and we'd travel to The New York Public Library every weekend to research our papers. We thought we were so grown up, taking the LIRR to Manhattan. Then I grew up and had to take the train to work every day, and it wasn't nearly as much fun.

I saw a recent picture of Tim Jerome (1961) in Newsletter # 203. He lived across Concord Street from us. As he was a few years older than me, we didn't exactly pal around. I DID see him in some Broadway shows, and I even went back stage to talk to him one time. Tim looks exactly like his dad did.

Thank you for moving away from football and Mr Ouchi. I didn't know any of the players mentioned (before my time), so I basically just skipped over those parts...nor did I ever have Mr Ouchi as a teacher to know what linguistic ‘pain’ he might have caused his students..

Newsletters ## 209, 210, and 211, spoke of the fire at the North Side School. At first, the stories mentioned that everything had been destroyed, but I knew that the kindergarten classrooms were saved. Rich (Ricky) Michel (1970) straightened that out. My dad, Martin Blumberg, was also a volunteer fireman at the time. (He went on to become Chief and then Fire Commissioner). I remember him getting up in the middle of the night to go and put out that fire. I also remember him coming home and telling me that he had saved the kindergarten classrooms just so that I could start kindergarten that fall. I don't remember being in the classrooms with all the damage around, nor do I remember North Side being rebuilt, but I do know it happened.

Not many people from the Class of 1970 have written lately, so I hope this puts us back on the map.”

Fan Mail

1961 (Peter Calderon) - “Art, Thanks for another extraordinary edition of the Wheatley Alumni Newsletter. And I’m not referring to my news…..Gene Razetti’s (1961) reflections and Claude Lévy’s (1966) story are both film-worthy.”

1964 (Elvira (“Vivi”) Cilmi Kunz) - “Thanks for your work on the Newsletters, Arthur.”

1965 (Louise Kampa Triano) - “Issue # 211 is, as always, splendid.”

1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - “Thank you, Art.”

1970 (Susan Blumberg Lande) - “Thanks for the Newsletters!”

1970 (Amy Jacoby Budish) - “Hi Art, As always, reading your Newsletter is like opening a treasure chest! - Thank you!”

1975 (Dellamarie Marinello Moore) - “I enjoy the Wheatley Alumni Newsletters.”

Anonymous Graduate - “I read all the alumni updates. You guys do a great job.”

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, Wheatley Alumni Newsletter # 211 was viewed 4,428 times, was liked 11 times, and was commented on four times. In all, 4,758 email addresses received Newsletter # 211.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 211 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

Closing

That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 212. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.

Art

Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967

ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM

WHEATLEYALUMNI@AOL.COM

WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG

646-872-4833.