Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,
Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 275,
Class of 1966 60th-Year Reunion
The Class of 1966 60th-Year Reunion will be held in New York City on Saturday, 10/17/26, at the home of Susan Bryant and classmate Larry Fox. Official invitations will be emailed in early August. If you are a member of the Class and you are interested in attending and you still have not responded, please contact Diana Noble Rubinger at DIANA4425@GMAIL.COM or Suzanne Stone at MSHB2000@AOL.COM.
Graduates
1958 - Steve Nelson - “Seeing Whitey Ford’s picture in Issue # 268 of the Wheatley Alumni Newsletter reminded me of a small mystery that I’m hoping one of you can solve. Whitey, of course, was a star pitcher with the Yankees, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1950 before serving in the Korean War for two years and returning to the Yankees in 1953. That spring I was in 7th grade at the Willets School and played for the Buffaloes in the Roslyn Little League. Art Rollini ’59 was on the team too.
One Saturday morning in May, all of the Roslyn Little League teams were summoned to be at Roslyn High School in uniform, where a film was being made about Little League starring Whitey Ford! He was a big hero of mine, both of us being left-handed throwers and on the shorter side, although I wasn’t a pitcher. I remember seeing him there, but I was just one of a couple hundred kids playing ball in the background.
I never heard anything more about the film, and I’ve struck out trying to find anything about it online. Who knows, maybe it was never completed. Whitey passed away in 2020. I’m hoping some ex-Little Leaguer from Wheatley who played Little League at the time knows something which can solve the mystery of the missing movie.
1964 - Walter R. Wendel - Now known as “Wendel R. Wendel”.
Sue Skarka Miller (1964) Writes - “I’m quite certain that the young man in the North Side photo is Walter Wendel. He later changed his name to “Wendel Wendel” and referred to himself as ‘Wendel Squared.’ I believe that he went on to build geodesic domes.”
AI Writes - “Wendel R. Wendel is a key innovator in geodesic dome and space-frame engineering.”
1964 - Jesse Samberg - Storyteller
1967 and 1968 - Helene Feiner and Randy Danto
L-R - Randy Danto (1968) and Helene Feiner (1967) - Bend, Oregon
1967 - Mitch Stephens and Art Engoron
L-R - Art Engoron and Mitch Stephens, Park Side Restaurant, Corona, Queens, NY, July 8, 2026
1970 - Gregory Fitzpatrick - The photo in your most recent newsletter of legendary stock car race driver Richard Petty and Maya Sabot Paveza (1988) reminded me of the bicycle trip I took with my wife in 2023 to Watkins Glen, New Yor, where we saw the bricks along the sidewalk of all of the famous racers that had competed there.
Cheers from Colorado
1973 - Kenneth Moskowitz and Peter Simel
Far left - Ken Moskowitz; Far right - Peter Simel (both 1973)
Kenny Writes - “Your brothers (Danny and Gerry Engoron) and Peter Simel (“Palm Beach Pete”) and I (all 1973) all played basketball as the “Bengyfield Bombers. A photograph of Peter is hanging in the Wheatley Cafeteria as one of the most famous
Graduates. He is my padel partner in south Florida……small world out there.
1974 - Carol Leifer - A Dream Come True
Carol Leifer and Mel Brooks - Orso Restaurant, NYC 2002
MEL BROOKS TURNS 100!
Meeting Mel… never in my wildest!
Carol Writes - “Lori and I at dinner with the greatest couple ever – Amy Yasbeck & the comedy legend, John Ritter.
I see Mel at the back of the restaurant - at the time working on “The Producers” on Broadway. I fangirl out & tell Amy and John how my father played “The 2000 year-old Man” record so much when I was a kid  that I could lip sync it. And what an influence his original, smart and hilarious comedy had been on me.
Well, John gets up & brings Mel Brooks back to our table! I was dying. And Mel was everything I dreamed he would be, such a sweetie. And I got to tell him how much I loved him - words can barely express.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEL! You are everything to comedy and everything to me!
And thanks, John Ritter, for making this girl’s dream come true. You are missed.”
L-R - Susan Kolinsky, Carol Leifer
1975 - Steve Witkoff - Special Envoy
2001 - Scott Reich - Baseball Book Author
Scott Writes - “Dear Art, I’m proud to share that my new book, One Day in September: Baseball, Brotherhood, and the Birth of the All-Star Game, came out July 7 and is available for order. The book uncovers the remarkable true story of how a forgotten 1917 charity baseball game—featuring Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and other legends—gave rise to one of America’s most enduring sports traditions. It’s a story about baseball, but even more about friendship, generosity, and the moments that bring people together. Readers can buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or their local bookstore. Some advance praise is below:
“Scott Reich’s One Day in September is the best baseball book, the best history book, the best book period that I have read in a long while. Like Lawrence Ritter’s The Glory of Their Times, it captures how baseball became ‘king’ in its early days. Like David Halberstam’s Summer of ‘49, it illuminates an epic moment in American life through the lens of sport. And like Roger Kahn’s The Boys of Summer, it evokes nostalgia not for sentimentality’s sake, but as a reminder of the importance of community, service, and the civic virtues necessary to sustain both. Readers will enjoy—treasure—every chapter. Scott Reich joins an elite group of writers exploring the intersection of American sport, culture, and history.”
— David Eisenhower, bestselling author of Eisenhower at War: 1943-1945
“As a long-ago Boston TV sportscaster, I’ve known of New England’s first true chronicler of baseball—Tim Murnane—for decades. But until Scott Reich’s extraordinary telling of the humanity that coalesced around his family after his tragic passing, I had never heard of the story of the Murnane All-Star game. This book…is a true tapestry of baseball and American history.”
— Keith Olbermann, Award-winning journalist and broadcaster
“Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Reich uncovers a forgotten chapter of baseball history that feels both surprising and essential. By the final page, you’ll wonder how this remarkable story remained untold for so long.”
— Darren Rovell, Emmy Award-winning sports business reporter, ESPN & CNBC
“As someone who spent my career in major-league clubhouses and played in many All-Star Games, I can tell you there’s nothing like stepping onto that field. In One Day in September, Scott Reich captures the pride, history, and emotion that have made the All-Star Game such a lasting part of baseball’s story.”
— Alex (“A-Rod”) Rodriguez, former Major League Baseball all-star
“Scott Reich’s One Day in September is a lovely, elegiac book…Lavishly illustrated, carefully researched, and affectionately told, it brings to life not only a game, but America and the game of baseball at a crossroads.”
— Kevin Baker, author, The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City.
I also host the Curveball podcast, where I explore life’s unexpected turns with authors, athletes, entrepreneurs, and other remarkable guests, examining how adversity, setbacks, and unforeseen challenges can become sources of resilience, purpose, and growth. You can listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more of my work on my website."
Best, Scott Reich, Wheatley Class of 2001
Fan Mail
1960 (Joanne Festa) - “Thank you, Art, for sharing the Wheatley news.” ❤️
1961 (Deborah Kerstein Brosowsky) - “I’m excited to see some 1980s & 1990s graduates checking in on this great Newsletter. Thanks for sharing.”
1962 (William “Bill” Cerillo) - “Thanks again, Art, for the work you and Keith do in keeping the Wheatley spirit alive!”
1963 (Marcia Friedman Mayer) - ❤️
1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️
1964 (Susan Skarka Miller) - “I love the Newsletter.”
1965 (Barry Gordon) - “I appreciate all you have done through your unending support of your fellow Wheatley alumni.”
1965 (Sharon Neely Halm) - “As always, a great read, with so many memories.” ❤️
1966 (Sylvia Kay) - “Thank you for all the work you do on the Alumni publications.”
1968 (Joane Filler-Varty) - “Thanks for your dedication to our Newsletters.”
1968 (Lois Hegyi Goldstein) - ❤️
1968 (Leslie Wolowitz) - “I look forward to reading the notes. Keep up the good work.”
1970 (Gregory Fitzpatrick) - “Thanks for all you do with the Newsletter.”
1977 (Laura Slaski) - ❤️
1980 (Lawrence Michael Weiss) - “Hi ART: I love the Newsletter and all you do for the Wheatley community. Everyone knows me as “Michael.” Legally my name is “Lawrence Michael Weiss.” I have used “L Michael Weiss” professionally. Again, thanks for the Newsletter.”
1988 (Maya J. Sabot Paveza) - ❤️
1996 (Joshua Effron) - ❤️
1996 (James Lohmann) - ❤️
2001 (Scott Reich) - “Thanks for all you do.”
The Usual Words of Wisdom
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.
Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 273 Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters (and much other Wheatley data and arcana) at our website:
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 vouch for the accuracy of what people tell me, as TWSAA does not have a New Yorker style 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, performed, and/or studied there. Art Engoron, Class of 1967
Closing
That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 275. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.
Arthur Fredericks (“Art”) Engoron, Class of 1967
646-872-4833
Jesse, there was nowhere to click like/love on your amazing story “against the wind”
Thank you for it
Thank you Art, really appreciate reading the new letters