The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 87

Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 87.

According to Substack, in the first 25 hours after publication, Newsletter # 86, which had 4,654 subscribers (all free), was viewed 2,650 times, was “liked” 22 times, and garnered four comments (all positive).

All underlined text is a link-to-a-link (or, rarely, an email address). Clicking anywhere on underlined text, and then on the link that pops up, will get you to your on-line destination.

Editors’ Note - Another theory (submitted independently by 1960s identical twins!) for why most “news” in this Newsletter comes from alumni who graduated in the 1960s and 1970s and thereabouts is that older graduates have longer lives to remember, contemplate, and discuss.

The Young Rascals Concert at Wheatley

The recent passing of Dino Danelli, the drummer for The Rascals (née“The Young Rascals”), has prompted an appreciation of how good…..no, “great”….. he was and they were. Their Good Lovin’ is one of the Top Ten Rock & Roll songs of all time (IMHO). And here they are performing it on The Ed Sullivan show:

The Young Rascals Perform Good Lovin’ on the Ed Sullivan Show

They also played at Wheatley in or about the fall of 1966 (as memorialized in the 1967 Aurora, pages 88-89).

Writes Steven Starr (1975) - “Dino Danelli.  Jeez, the Young Rascals were SO huge in my world, I still have the 45’s. My brother Marc (’72) saw them at the Wheatley gym— apparently Helen Sparks (1967) set the whole thing up — my parents wouldn’t let me go.  I was, after all, 9 years old. Marc said he believes the Rascals replaced the original band that backed out…..when their sudden success meant a high school gig was no longer in the cards. The name of that band?   Cream.”

New York Times Obituary of Dino Danelli

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 86 Newsletters (and 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, mirabile dictu, 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 do not vouch for the accuracy of what people tell me.

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 and/or studied there.

Graduates

1958 - Steve Nelson - History Buff

The reference to the Roslyn Country Club in the latest newsletter sent me to Google, where I discovered this 1956 article in the New York Times lamenting the state of city tennis courts but citing the RCC as a rising center of junior tennis and mentioning Larry Nagler ’58 [Editors’ note - and Dick Razzetti, older brother of Gene Razzetti (1961) who went on to successful careers as a tennis pro and stockbroker].

 https://www.roslyncountryclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/1956.06.09-On-Near-By-Tennis-Courts.pdf

And check out this article about the overwhelming vote to build a new high school.

https://www.roslyncountryclub.org/history/old-history/the-rancher-october-1954/

The School did not yet have a name, but it already had its first Principal, Dr. Norman J. Boyan, “regarded as one of the top educators in the East.”

1959 - Nan Bauer-Maglin - Another Book

Announcing publication of Gray Love: Stories About Dating and New Relationships After 60

EDITED BY NAN BAUER-MAGLIN & DANIEL E. HOOD  

"Cupid’s got a lousy sense of humor. We just keep longing for romance and companionship, even in our nineties. Love’s a drive—like thirst and hunger. And this book shows the yearning (and resignation) among older folks with touching delicacy and exquisite sophistication.”   

—Dr. Helen Fisher, Chief Science Advisor to Match.Com

Gray Love narrates stories about the most common themes – searching for and (perhaps) finding love. Forty-five men and women between ages 60 and 94 from diverse backgrounds talk about dating, starting or ending a relationship, embracing life alone or enjoying a partnered one. The longing for connection as old age encroaches is palpable here, with more and more senior singles searching online. Those who find new partners explore issues that most relationships encounter at any age, as well as some that are unique to elder relationships. These include having had previous partners and a complicated and deep personal history; family and friends’ reactions to an older person’s dating; alternative models to marriage (such as sharing space or living apart); having more than one partner at the same time; one’s aging body, appearance, and sexuality; and the pressure of time and the specter of illness and death.  

NAN BAUER-MAGLIN is Professor Emerita at the City University of New York. She has published eight collections (six with coeditors) on topics such as stepfamilies, retirement, feminism, death, dying and choice, and older parenting. Her latest book is Widows’ Words: Women Write on the Experience of Grief, The First Year, The Long Haul, and Everything In Between.  

Publishing January 13, 2023
Hardcover | $24.95 | 9781978827264 | 316 pages | 6 x 
Cloth and e-book available  rutgersuniversitypress.org

1964 - Jay Roth - Movie Man

Writes sister Susan Roth (1969) - “I'm not sure Wheatley-ites are aware of my brother’s storied career at the Directors Guild of America (“DGA”) and lifetime’s work supporting, protecting, and defending unions and their members in general.  Last month France recognized him for the second time for his tireless work nurturing and then promoting international film. Prior to receiving this latest honor, he was given the Legion d'Honneur, “France’s highest civilian honor,” by then President Nicolas Sarkozy. I am so proud of his many achievements, I thought I’d toot his horn for him, as he would never do it for himself! Attached is a copy of the article that appeared in the DGA Magazine’s latest issue.  Happy holidays! All my best, Susan”

Jay and Susan Roth on their way to the Academy Awards Just Prior to the Pandemic.

And here is an article from the Directors Guild of America Magazine:

Not surprisingly, the Directors Guild of America website is WWW.DGA.ORG.

1965 - Betsy Brautigam, Barry Gordon, Andrea Levine, and Jeffrey Orling at Carnegie Mellon University.

Writes Barry - “Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon, admitted nine Wildcats in 1965. Four of us, Betsy Brautigam, Andrea Levine, Jeff Orling, and I, attended. I remember going to Jeff’s dorm room and marveling at his KLH stereo-inside-a-suitcase.  He played "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," by the Rolling Stones, released that year, for me. I saw Betsy Brautigam often, as she was dating a friend of mine.  I am still working part-time and have been very active with CMU for decades.  CMU even gave me an award last year:

I was a National Science Foundation (NSF) fellow when I was a graduate student at CMU.  My major was Metallurgy and Material Science (MMS), which is now called Material Science and Engineering (MSE); every university determined that the word ‘engineering’ has to be in the department title for Internet searches.

The head of my department called me into his office and told me to apply for a Hertz (yes, the car rental company) fellowship, because it had higher funding than the National Science Foundation.  However, I had to interview with Dr. Edward Teller, the ‘father’ of the hydrogen bomb, for the scholarship!

I met Teller at a Pittsburgh hotel and it went terribly.  He asked me about shock wave theory and all sorts of physics-type questions. I am not a physicist!  At the end of the meeting he asked me to ask him any questions about anything, including art, music, etc.  So I asked him what he thought of George Blanda, the 50-ish-year-old place-kicker and backup quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, still playing football! The next interviewee was a fellow metallurgy grad student. As I was leaving I heard Teller ask him what he would like to discuss at their meeting.  I heard him say, ‘Anything but physics.’

Bottom line:  I was told by the head of my department that the Hertz fellowships were only for engineers, and as Teller considered me a ‘scientist,” I was not eligible.

I now address my associates at work as the following: "Dear Fellow Scientists,” which really upsets one of our managers.

My memory is pretty scary to me and, especially, to my wife, Aldene, because I tend to correct her on various subjects, such as who was in what movie.  At work, my technical memory is considered "encyclopedic.” Aldene and I live in a little city of ~3,000 people in the heart of Silicon Valley.  We have Google-ians, Apple-ians, Ebayer-ians, etc. as neighbors.

Aldene and I married in January 1981.  She literally picked me out of a crowd at a ‘women's choice’ singles dance.  She was looking for ‘a bald Jewish scientist.’ Instead she got an engineer. Two out of three ain’t bad. Here are the two of us (a few years ago):

We are both cyclists and very active in the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club.  Aldene is former elementary school teacher and now a web designer.  She created our team website at The Lost Gatos Bicycle Racing Team Website.

This is Aldene riding her time trial bike to victory in the Masters California Championships:

However, her neurologist made her retire from cycling due balance problems that we think were induced during chemo treatments.

Finally, word has it that the happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day he or she buys it and the day he or she sells it. Congrats, Jeff Orling.”

1965 - Andrea Levine - Remembered by Gretchen Gersh Whitman (1966) - “ I was particularly saddened to learn of the death of Andrea Levine, who was a beautiful, sensitive, talented person.”

1965 - Jeffrey Orling - Sailor

Writes Jeff - “I bought a sailboat in 1985 and have been all over the place.  I am selling the boat now.  But I had fantastic experiences with that boat! All good things (and bad) come to an end.

That’s Elsie and me in Northport Park, Long Island, approximately seven years ago.  I have the same glasses and same hair.  I lost the hat! Happy Holidays.”

Jeff Orling’s list of “S” Section Denizens has called forth others:

Writes Paul Riefberg (1968) - “I can add the Walsh’s, Lowenthals, Firetogs, Bush’s; and too much time has passed to recall others.”

Writes Susan Roth (1969) - “To add to Jeffrey Orling’s list of “S” Sectioners, I offer the following: the Roths, Hecklers, Mardens (for a time), Klines, Greenbergs, Metzgers, Spielbergers, Bernsteins, Stones, Rutenbergs, Goldbergs, Klaubers, Rubins, Srinivasans, Malskys and Weinsteins—to name a few. :)”

Writes Rick Lowenthal (1970) - “I'd like to add to Jeffrey Orling's list of the families in the S-Section: Hecht, Howard, Roeder, Rotholtz, Oppenheim, Rosengarten, Summers, Epstein, Glasser, Dellis, Walsh, Miller, Rieders, Katz, Bush, Calderon, Wattel, etc. Veritatem Quaerite.”

1966 - Gretchen Gersh Whitman - Toasting 2023

1970 - Cathy Gerson - Artist

Writes Cathy - “The motorcycle is made of clay. Each tile is separate. I sculpt some of the tiles to make it very 3D. It has a color changing headlight. People send pictures of their favorite car, motorcycle, train, or airplane! Then I draw it and trace it onto a clay slab. It’s fun to see them come to life! The totems are all one of a kind, made with clay tiles and tumbled rocks from my creek. I also use stained glass, beads, and found objects. Jay Leno owns one of my cars.

1970 - Rick Lowenthal - “Art: If not now, when?  Jeffrey Orling's (1965) recent letter jolted my memories of the Roslyn Country Club S-Section. We recently and reluctantly sold our Strawberry Lane house of 71 years, after Mom (Marion) passed away.  Our house backed up to the 12-acre Clark Botanical Garden. Mom told stories of old man William Levitt walking the property with her and talking about the landscaping. The house has already been torn down and the replacement will certainly be a large one, only the height and number of columns have yet to be determined. Certainly, the most popular guy in the neighborhood was the Good Humor Man. I remember getting milk delivered to the house in bottles along with other items. We played our own version of ringolevio under the shadow of the Albertson water tower. Assuming the statute of limitations has expired…..yes, I climbed it, along with others, but I did not "tag" the tower with graffiti. No, I will not name names.  Unfortunately, I also remember riding my bicycle along with others behind the ‘fog truck,’ probably spraying DDT(?) just a few years before Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring," was published.  How hard was it to stay awake thru Clifton Fadiman’s so-called Educational TV shows at school?  Rick Lowenthal (1970)”

1973 - Mystery Man in Old Photograph Identified

Amy Hershcopf (Levine) (1972) is at the bottom left; Older sister Shelley Hershcopf (1968) is standing behind her: Gail Gimbel (1973) is in the front middle, in the white jacket; Robert Siegelman (1972) is just behind and to Gail’s right: Roger Gimbel (1969) , wearing a hat, is right behind Robert; Peter Siegelman (1969) is in the back row, middle, with light-colored hair. The tall guy, back-right, has just been identified:

Writes Jane Sherry (1971) - To confirm what Maddy Nathanson (1969) wrote, I’m pretty sure that the unknown person is my brother, Rik Sherry (1968). He was very good friends with Peter Siegelman back in the day. The ‘tall guy’ looks like Rik, and we lived on Dogleg Lane, one street over from Clover Lane (Pebble Lane was in between).

Fan Mail

Faculty (Patricia Mathews) - ❤️

1958 (Carol Gettleman Berkowitz) - ❤️

1960 (Paul Keister) - “Thank you, Art, for ALL YOU DO! How you do it with the responsibilities you have in NYC, I will never know. It is a good thing you are young!
Paul Keister (Admirer and former neighbor in the ‘old days’!)”

1961 (Tim Jerome) - ❤️

1961 (Rhoda Kalkin Schneider) - “As always, I enjoyed reading our Alumni Newsletter! 😍”

1962 (John Cilmi) - ❤️

1962 (Madeline Moret Armstrong) - ❤️

1965 (Ira Kent) - ❤️

1965 (Jeff Orling) - “Thanks Art, I am grateful to you and others who supply content to your Wheatley Newsletter. It's a bummer that our memories can't work the way we want them to. I look forward to reading these Newsletters.”

1965 (Laurel Osrow) - ❤️

1966 (Gretchen Gersh Whitman) - “Thank you for all your consistent diligent work on the Wheatley Newsletter, which not only keeps us all up to date, but somehow unites us in the finest ideals we were taught, by actually promoting, encouraging and allowing free speech and respectful dialogue. I most enjoy not only the free-wheeling memories shared but also the honest points of disagreement.”

1966 (Amy Gruskin Gerstein) - ❤️

1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - “Great job as always, Art. I enjoy all the updates.❤️”

1967 (Joseph Tartaglia) - “Have a Wonderful Holiday, & God Bless America🇺🇸.”

1969 (Paul Ingrassia) - “Hi Art, Thanks for all your hard work. I wish all my friends and extended family Happy Holidays. After more than 50 years my memories of Wheatley and the friends I made are still embedded deep in my heart.”

1969 (Susan Roth) - “I thoroughly enjoy the Newsletters, a true labor of love. Please keep them coming. Thanks for all your hard work!❤️”

1970 (Maria Giordano Gittleman) - ❤️

1970 (Rick Lowenthal) - “Like the rest of us, I’m grateful for what you do.”

1970 (Debra Mittenthal Hershey) - ❤️

1971 (Jane Sherry) - “Thanks for the Newsletter, Arthur. I cannot imagine how you have the time and energy for the hard work it must take to put this out as frequently as you do. Very impressive. Happy holidays to all, Jane”

1972 (Robin Freier Edwards) - “Thanks so much for these newsletters! Awesome job of keeping Wheatley kids together through the years!❤”

1972 (Sheri Nathan Risolia) - “I live in South Florida and the Newsletters really connect me to my past. Receiving them makes me feel warm and peaceful. Thank you so much.❤️”

1973 (Gail Gimbel) - “I love the Newsletters.”

1974 (Victoria Abbott Pitcavage) - ❤️

1974 (Ann DeMilta) - ❤️

1974 (SuZanne Zenker Gilbride) - “Hi Art, Thank You so much for all you do. I so enjoy all the Newsletters; so many items trigger a memory that I had forgotten about or just totally haven’t thought about in years. I have a slight disconnect because I moved to Texas in 1980 at 24 years old after being away at college……I had a few short years in The Big Apple before my escape……LOL. What you do takes a lot of work and I totally appreciate it.”

1976 (Thomas Behan) - “Thanks for the Wheatley newsletter; it brings back memories of my high school days.”

1976 (Robin Firetog Glanzberg) - ❤️

1977 (Maryann Donnelly Kreischer) - ❤️

1977 (Linda Watnick) - ❤️

1981 (Gyll Gates Sbrocchi) - ❤️

1983 (Monique Lazar Ruane) - ❤️

1996 (James Lohmann) - ❤️

Closing

That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 87.  Please send us your autobiography before someone else sends us your obituary.

Art

Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967

WHEATLEYALUMNI@AOL.COM

ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM

WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG

646-872-4833