Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 238.

Administration

The Legendary Walter Wesley (“Wes”) Wathey, Principal

Allan Deutscher (1958) Writes - Mr. Wathey was my gym teacher at North Side School during the late 1940’s. I started there in 1947, in the second grade. I was in 4th or 5th grade when, one day, I was playing baseball, and Mr. Wathey was the other team’s third baseman …… and I was on third base! A hard grounder was hit right at Mr. Wathey, and I was all set to run home after he threw to first base. However, he was a great athlete and a clever guy. He scooped up the grounder, and in one beautiful, fluid motion, he faked a throw to first and tagged me out one second later. Walking back up the hill to class afterward, the other players and I were laughing with him.

More than 30 years later, I ran into him in Syosset. We hugged each other and laughed about that play again. What a great guy?!”

Jill Simon Forte (1967) Writes - “Wow, Mr Wathey survived the landings on Omaha Beach during D-Day 😳. So much we never know about people that come in and out of our lives.”

Graduates

1964 - Steve Simmons and Michael Garin - 75 Years of Friendship

Michael Writes - “Hi Art, Steve and I had our own reunion. We hadn’t seen each other in more than 30 years, but today it seemed like only yesterday. There’s something enduring about old friendships. Best regards, Michael”

1965 - Saleem Parnath - (Formerly Known as “Gibb Geery”)

Scott Geery (1967) Writes - “Artie, Saleem Pernath was an interesting fellow. So was Gibb Geery. Two lives in one lifetime. I spent a fair amount of time with each of them, and although he lived his life as ‘Saleem Pernath’ for many years, he would still acknowledge someone, albeit slowly, when addressed as ‘Gibb.’ I’m confident that neither Gibb nor Saleem would have taken issue with Liz Zoob (1965) or yourself as to the arrangement or rearrangement of his name(s).

He was a good Muslim. Through his example, I learned humility. I’m grateful for that.

And yes, Arthur, our mom was born ‘Anne (Nancy) Gibb.’ She was known as ‘Gibby’ during her school days.

I miss them all.”

1967 - Howard Kirchick - “Hi Art, I also rode a Suzuki 750 in my early thirties while doing my post-doc at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston – that is until it (and almost me) was totaled when a pick-up pulled out of a parking lot in front of me. I had three choices: speed up and try to pass in front of him; ditch; or slow down and try to pass behind him. The first two choice would have resulted in him running over me. I opted for the third choice but couldn’t brake hard enough to get behind him, so I hit him behind the cab and flew over the bed doing what was likely a spectacular spread eagle. Fortunately for me, I had a full-face helmet, boots, gloves, and a denim jacket on and only broke a small bone in my hand and had some skin abrasions (guess I should have been wearing leather).

Prior to the accident, a grad student in the Lab and I would take trips in the countryside outside of Houston. On the farm roads (as they’re called in Texas) we’d get up to speeds of around 100 mph. My only worry was what would happen if an armadillo were to decide to try to cross the road in front of me.

Wild times.

All the best,

Howard

1968 - Sandra Brodkin Dreis - Author - Found on Facebook

1972 - Judith Oppenheim Darrah - New and Improved (Reprint, With Reaction)

Judith Now (2025)

Joanne Festa (1960) Writes - “Congrats, Judith. You look stunning.”

From the Archives - Miscellaneous Classes in 2016 - Help Wanted

L-R - Floor - Marcia Friedman Mayer (1963), Leslie Schiller Fisher (1963), Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963) (?), ???, Jeanne Messing (1961), ???, ???, ???

Chairs - ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Carol Jalonack Blum (1961), ???, ???

Standing - Donna Kenton (1963), ???, ???, ???, Jerry Mintz (1961) (?), ???, Tim Jerome (1961) (?), ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Liz Stone (1963), ???, ???, ???

From the Archives - Class of ‘65 In 2016 - New Names Added in Bold

L-R - Sitting - Louise Kampa Triano, Donna Hegyi Gillman, Sally Jablon, Ellen “Ellie” Senft Kochek, Jane Goldenberg Fire

Standing - ???, Saleem Pernath (then known as “Gibb Geery”), ???, ???, Neil Firetog, ???, Norman Resnicow, ???, Lanning “Lanny” Schiller, Ken Katz

From the Archives - Class of ‘76 in 2016 - Everyone identified

L-R Standing - Greg Linde, Laurie Paisner, Donald Spininger, Larry Copeland, Nancy Weissman, Charley Cassely, Bruce King, Robin Firetog Glanzberg, Eddie Biancavilla

Seated - Amy Herbst, Felice Greenbaum Berger, Robin Hegyi Sisskind, Cathy or Carol Drew, Kathy Kuveikis, Debra Clarke, Mary Costello.

From the Archives - Class of ‘79 in 2016 - Everyone Identified

L-R - Floor - Suzanne “Suzie” DeVries, Barbara Silber Signorelli, Janette Knowles

Sitting - Janet King, Wendy McClure, Julie Hoffman Fensterheim, Alisa Schuckman Dultz, Pam Kalish, Amy Gould, Eileen Weiss Nelson, Beth Malsky Peisic, Irena Jug

Standing - Ronald Bookbinder, Sharon Lazar, David Greenapple, Scott Lewis, David Chin, David Sigman, Peter Weinstein, Adam Abeshouse, Tracy Klestadt, Joseph Milana, Wayne Cutler, Lloyd Rosler

Fan Mail

1958 (Allan Deutscher) - “Thank you for all your hard work with our news!”

1960 (Joanne Festa) - ❤️

1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️

1965 (Laurel Osrow) - ❤️

1966 (Claude Levy) - ❤️

1967 (Scott Geery) - “Always good to get a Newsletter.”

1968 (Lois Hegyi Goldstein) - ❤️

1969 (Susan Shapiro) - “You do an amazing job.”

1970 (Jane Madison) - ❤️

1972 (Jeffrey Kargman) - ❤️

1972 (Sheri Nathan) - ❤️

1979 (Randi Glasser) - “Thank you for everything you do.”

1980 (Roberta “Bobbie” Hoffman) - “I always love reading the Newsletter.”

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 236 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 # 238. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.

Art

  Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967

  WHEATLEYALUMNI@AOL.COM

  ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM

  WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG

  646-872-4833