The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 244

The EWSD Upper Echelon; a 100-year correction; Jill Simon Forte (1967); Joel Harris (1972) with son and Peter Siegel (1966); Archival Photographs; and the inaugural Wildcat Dog Gallery

ARTHUR ENGORON

December 3,2025

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 244

Administration

Republished from Newsletter # 243, from a gorgeous original print:

The same photo, as appeared in the 1965 Wheatley School Yearbook, with more complete identifications

[Editor’s Note - Mr. Wathey was Wheatley’s Principal for at least another 14 years after this photo was taken, so I don’t understand the reference to a “farewell” dinner.]]]

Faculty

Correction - Tom Cautela passed away in 2021, not 1921 (which would have been some feat), as reported in the most recent issue (# 243). I loathe unforced errors, especially my own.

Graduates

1967 - Jill Simon Forte - Mr. Bentley and Ringo Starr?

Jill Writes - “Wow, Russ Simon (1973)! He may have shared my pre-married surname, but probably he is not related to me, 🤣 He sure met lots of singers I enjoy, especially Ringo!

By the way, even though Mr. Bentley was always telling me that I wasn’t doing something “according to code” 🤣, Bob Forte (1975) and I named our first sheepdog after him: ‘Bentley’ 🤣

Well, another fun read . 😊☮️”

1972 - Joel Harris - “Good afternoon, Art, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Wheatley grad while visiting my son in Berkley, CA (also a Wheatley grad). It’s always fun to visit and share some memories of days gone by.

Joel Harris ’72 and son Bryan Harris ‘01

Joel Harris ’72 with Peter Siegel ’66 (my son lives just four houses away). Always a small world.

Best regards,
Joel”

From the Archives - Several ‘50s-’60s Classes in 2016 - Two MIA’s; One Ambiguity

L-R - Floor - Marcia Friedman Mayer (1963), Leslie Schiller Fisher (1963), Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963), Nancy Kurshan (1961), Jeanne Messing (1961), Deborah Crane (formerly “Krane”) (1963), Kathy Chaikin (1963), Leonard (“Lenny”) Symons (1961)

Chairs - Linda Erdmann Brody (1963), Susan Gross (1963), Maida Holzman (1963), Arthur Brody (1962), ???, Nan Bauer-Maglin (1959), Carol Jalonack Blum (1961), Janet Cohen Eder (1960), Ellen Litwin Fingerman (1963)

Standing - Donna Kenton (1963), Robert Freiman (1962), Mike Jablon (1961), Bettina (guest of David Friedman), Jerry Mintz (1961), David Friedman (1962), Tim Jerome (1961), Joe Iannotti (1962), John Kapinos (1962), ???, Matthew Sanzone (1959), Margaret Russek (1962), Michael Carillo (1961), Lauren Jacobs (1963), Debby Kerstein Brosowsky (1961), Liz Stone (1963), Merry Orling (1961), Gary Krakauer (1963) or Richard “Dickie” Safft (1961), John Rigrod (1961)

From the Archives - Class of 1966 in 2016- Missing Only Two

L-R - Sitting - Gretchen Gersh, Adrienne Lagin, Deborah Davis, Marta Pesa, Leslie Goldstein Ossim, Karen Wattel Arenson, Jane Rosengarten, Dan Willard, Peter Siegel

Standing - ???, Robert Stange, Marc Swickle, Ricky Jalonack, Jeff Knetzer, Harold Whack, Linda Rignel, Jay Keillor, Alison Kent Bermant, Frank Lamitola, Andrea Ibanez, Robert Sarnoff, Susan Berger Jones, Kathy Walsh, Glen Greenbaum, Preston Winters, ???

From the Archives - Class of 1970 in 2016- One Addition, One Correction - But Help Still Needed

L-R - Floor - Joanne Horowitz, Dana Seman, Susan Weiss, Stacey Moritz, Andrea Chock Carlin

Chairs - Doug Terris, Kenny Ruby, John R. Weiss, Jane Madison, Mindy Spier Cohen, Vicki Unger, Amy Jacoby Budish, Robin Halpern

Standing - Bob Bush, Jimmy Nordlinger, Walter McKenna, ???, Drew Tressler, Ken Levien, Karen Hurvitz, Arlene Krauss-Mandell, Robert Abramowitz, Laverne Manning, Jane Roeder, ???, Janet Goldberg Hornbecker, ???, Nancy Reuben, George Nierenberg

The Wildcat Dog Gallery

Editor’s Note - Long-Time readers of The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter can attest to the fact that I rarely post photographs of dogs (or, for that matter, other pets). I worry that doing so will get too cutesy-wootsy and take up too much real estate. Also, although I love our canine friends, some people don’t.

Nevertheless, I am instituting, on an experimental basis, a Wildcat Dog Gallery. So send me your favorite pooch photo. At the end of the day, we could even elect the cutest Wildcat Dog. Here are the first two contestants

No photo description available.

Amanda Hartman Ryan’s (2009) beautiful basset hound, Stewart

Stewart, the Peace Dog

Art Engoron’s (1967) Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Molly as a puppy, staring out from her dog bed.

Golden Molly, Fully Grown

Fan Mail

1962 (Karen Strumpfler Tucker) - As always, good to see old photos -- some of them I actually recognize! Scary...” ❤️

1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth)- “Wonderful to read all The Wheatley School news. Happy Holidays to all.” ❤️

1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️

1966 (Richard Jalonack) - ❤️

1970 (Laura Nathanson) - “I appreciate all that you do.”

1972 (Suellyn Karben) - ❤️

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 242 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 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, and/or studied there. Art Engoron, Class of 1967

Closing

That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 244. 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