The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 113

Summer Heat

July 9, 2023

Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 113.

According to Substack, in the first 25 hours after publication Newsletter # 112 was viewed 3,178 times, was “liked” 22 times, and received six comments (all positive). In all, 4,652 email addresses received Newsletter # 112.

All underlined text is a link-to-a-link. Left-clicking anywhere on underlined text, and then left-clicking on the link that pops up, will get you to your on-line destination.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 112 Newsletters (and much 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, wow!, you’ll find every place it exists in all previous Newsletters and other on-site material. I use it all the time; it works!

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. Art Engoron, Class of 1967

What’s In a Name?

Writes Bill Rutenberg (1964) - “I enjoyed reading the various theories regarding the naming of our school. I’m surprised that no one knew the name was the result of a spelling error. The proper name was ‘The Whitney School,’ after William Collins Whitney. His estate was once the home of the Vanderbilts and the Whitneys and was immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Case closed.”

Writes Art Engoron (1967) - Norman Boyan, Wheatley’s first Principal, told me in no uncertain terms that “Wheatley” was chosen because it was a name sprinkled (my word, not his) throughout the neighborhood (witness “The Wheatley Hills Golf Club” and “Wheatley Road”) and he, and/or the Board of Education, did not want to go with “The East Williston School District Junior and Senior High School.” Bob Holley (1958) wrote the definitive, convincing explanation of the geographical connection between the school name and the surrounding neighborhood in Newsletter # 106,

The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 106

Several people have said, and I agree, that “Wheatley” has an upper-class aura; and that “The Wheatley School” has private school connotations that would please the admissions folks at Ivy League colleges and other selective institutions.

For the last half century and more, I’ve been repeating the mantra, “The Wheatley School; it sounds like a private school, but it’s a public school,” when people asked where I went to high school.

I have never heard, from anyone, until now, “The Whitney School” theory, and I reject it out of hand for that and other reasons.

The ‘Hood - More History

Writes Carol Jalonack Blum (1961) - “I write to clarify one point about the history of the Roslyn Country Club houses. Bill Levitt’s brother, Alfred, was the architect for all of the Levitt projects. Bill was the builder; he executed his brother's designs. My father was their Executive VP and Chief Engineer for almost 30 years. (Think ‘radiant heat in those Country Club floors.’) He worked closely with both men and their father, Abraham ‘Pop’ Levitt.”

Wheatley Football - Grief + Camaraderie

Writes Glen Greenbaum (1966) - “Hey John Warde (1967), Not much fun being a captain of an 0-8 football team. I know, as I was captain the for the previous 0-8 team, and we had the same issues. By the way, I was the catcher for Windsor Fuel when one of the Hanft twins threw you a hanging curveball in a little league game. I don't remember it ever coming down.”

Writes Carl Wirth (1967) - “Art, having John Warde’s assessment of the 1965-1966 football team, I agree completely. Because of a bad heart I was not allowed to play football, but I served as the team’s “manager” (a nice way of saying “waterboy”). I brag today that I was so bad of a player that I got cut from the team that went 0-16 to be the manager, but I know the truth. We had two really good coaches in Jack “Cat” Davis and Bill “Wild Bill” Lawson, and even though every week resulted in a loss, they still coached and taught the team to be proud of themselves regardless. I saw my classmates from the Class of 1967 and underclassmen from 1968 and 1969 give their all both at practices and on the field during games. They were a very spirited bunch of guys throughout what were heartbreaking seasons. It should be remembered that it was guys like John, Frank Vedder, Doug Martin, Jeff Carroll, Scott Geery, John Stedman and few others from that team that built Wheatley’s first scoreboard. I remember being at practice when the guys came off the field after a long practice in 1965 when the famous east coast blackout hit. But my best memory of that team was how well those guys treated me. Usually the manager is like a second-class citizen, but they treated me as a friend and part of the team. They may not have won, but they were all heart. And when I ran for office they supported me completely. Perhaps someday I should write a note on how I wrote girl’s sports for The Wildcat as “Carol Wirth,” another fun Wheatley memory. [Note Carl ran for, and won, the prestigious office of student government president.]

Faculty

Correction - Howard Storm is not “missing,” as I erroneously reported in Newsletter # 112; he is deceased. Writes Camille Napoli Cannizzo - “According to Amy Storm, Howard’s daughter, he passed away on January 8, 2019. He was an inspirational teacher during Wheatley’s earliest years.”

Graduates

1961 - Peter Calderon - “Dear Art and Keith, The latest Wheatley newsletter has shaken me out of my stupor. I'm not sure if an affectionate recollection of our salad days at Wheatley -- to paraphrase George Santayana -- has helped us to avoid "disaster"; however, the example set by our wonderful mentors at Wheatley certainly helped to stimulate self-knowledge and sharpen our vision of the future.
I would like to second the tribute that Howard Grindlinger (1962) paid to our extraordinary English teachers, Howard Storm and Peggy Meisel. They were undoubtedly the principal reason why I chose to major in English literature at Princeton. Thanks to Art, I had the chance to connect by telephone with Mr. Storm before he died. And several years ago I connected with Peggy Meisel, and we went to the Met Opera together. Her students may recall that opera was her passion, and she reported to the class, upon getting engaged during our senior year, that she could not imagine marrying someone who did not share her passion.

I recall Howard's devotion to his wife, whose beauty he compared to Eva Marie Saint during one of our classes, and I also recall that upon the birth of his daughter in 1960, our English class presented him with a $25 US Savings bond! Anecdotally -- and worth reporting as there are few lessons that stick with us throughout our lives -- Howard had the good sense to offer some life advice when I was anxious to tell him about the Shakespeare play I had seen with my parents at the Hofstra Shakespeare festival. Upon attempting to deconstruct for him the play I had just seen, Howard stopped me with this affectionate counsel: ‘Peter, you don't need to analyze every theatrical experience. Remember that Shakespeare wrote the plays for your pleasure.’

There are other things that began at Wheatley that stick around for the rest of our lives. Friends of course; and careers that were first stimulated at Wheatley. In my case, in addition to the appreciation of literature and opera, it is fencing. Wheatley didn't have a fencing program until the fall of 1960. Two local parents with a fencing background (Hank Stein and Richard Amster's father) decided it was time, as Long Island was not only the venue for several military academies with fencing teams but a couple of the high schools that Wheatley competed with in other sports also had them. And there was also a small fencing club at I.U. Willets elementary school run by a Hungarian emigre fencing master who had defected in 1956. I held a foil in my hand for the first time in November 1960 and, after practice and the discipline to make 100 lunges before going to bed, I won the Long Island high school fencing championship in April 1961. And there was some romance attached to Wheatley's first fencing victories in 1961. I persuaded my high school sweetheart, Carol Abby (1963), who sent me off to Princeton with a photograph dedicated to ‘my angel with horns,’ to take up fencing as well. And in April 1961 she won the Long Island high school fencing championship as well. My high point was Princeton winning the NCAA fencing champions in 1964. Carol got much further and made the US Olympic fencing team in 1968.

Richard's father had persuaded me to join the new fencing team by explaining that fencing was not like football or baseball or wrestling because you could still do it in your 30s! I have taken him at his word. There is an active veterans fencing program in the US and internationally for fencers over 50. As I've lived a good deal of the time in Europe, mainly France during the past 25 years, I've taken full advantage of this opportunity and competed for the US in 7 world championships in all weapons (foil, epee and saber).

Thanks to the journey that began at Wheatley 62 years ago, last month, under the guise of Spanish nationality, I won the Spanish national championship in saber for 70+ this past June in San Sebastián. I also won bronze medals in épée and foil. I was, of course, the oldest competitor by a good margin, as there is no 80+ category!

Hemingway is quoted famously as saying that "Paris is a moveable feast" because being there as a youth you carry it with you for the rest of your life. Perhaps those of us fortunate to have been schooled at Wheatley in our formative years can say the same for our beloved school.

With an affectionate greeting to all Wheatley alumni,

Peter Calderon, 1961”

1961 - Rhoda Kalkin Schneider - Home Remedy - “Whenever I had the slightest hint of a sore throat, the remedy in our Ashkenazi Jewish home was gogol mogol (“kogel mogel” in Polish). Mogol Gogol is a Yiddish word for a shtetl recipe that dates back to 17th-century Central Europe. It’s a simple, sweet treat made with egg yolks and sugar that’s similar to a non-alcoholic version of eggnog or zabaione.

Gogol mogol is considered both a dessert and a home remedy for colds and throat aches. There is some science behind its healing properties – an Israeli internal medicine doctor found that warm gogol mogol has an antibiotic effect that can speed up recovery for inflamed throats. Even Barbra Streisand’s mother allegedly believed in gogol mogol’s curative properties and tried to strengthen her daughter’s vocal cords by serving her this classic concoction.

MOGOL GOGOL

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar or honey
¼ cup hot milk

Optional additions:

2 shots rum or brandy
2 Tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp zest
2 tsp cocoa powder

Directions

1. Using a handheld mixer with the whisk attachment, or using a whisk, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until lightened, thick and doubled in size – about 3-4 minutes with the mixer or 6-8 minutes by hand.

2. Warm up the milk until just hot and then stream it into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. If including any of the optional additions, whisk them in at this point. Serve immediately.

1962 - Howard Grindlinger - Multi-Credentialed

Writes Howard - “Hello Art - Howard, again. I forgot to mention that among my credentials besides an MD and 5 years of post graduate Medical training, I hold a Master's Candidacy in Writing for Film and Television from San Francisco State University (site of Robert Redford's film,'The Candidate'), oddly enough. I ruined the curve for every one else: straight 4.0.

As an aside, through Yad Vashem, I learned of the total loss of the Grindlinger/Grundlinger ancestry from the environs of L'Vov in Ukraine. Other sides of the family had their names so anglicized that it became impossible to learn of their ancestral fates.”

1963 - Deborah Krane - “My husband and I are in the middle of an exciting eleven-day Grand Train tour of Switzerland and six days in Lucerne and Zurich. My love of travel started at Wheatley when AFS student Ana Maria Rocchia (1962) spent a year with our family. I have not seen Ana since high school, but we text each other fairly regularly. Ana worked for the government for many years, and her husband was an attorney. She has been a widow for about ten years and has five children and many grandchildren and is still studying English. Ana has had a mostly good life and remembers the time she spent at Wheatley as one her her happiest times.”

1965 - Robert Forte - Guitar Man

1966 - Tobi Eisenstein Soskin - “This is a bit late, but thanks to all those people, including my classmates Alison Kent Bermant and Ricky Jalonack, who wrote about my dad’s bakery in the Westwood Shopping Center. It was so nice to read the comments. He lived to 102. Hi to Natalie Cobb (1964).”

1967 - Cydney Gershon - Remembered - Writes John Mok (1968) - “Hi Art, Thanks for posting the Class of 1967 sophomore year E thru G photo. Seeing Cydney in the front row brought back many fond memories of my visits to the Gershon residence.”

1969 - Paula Panzeca Foresto - “Condolences to Scott Geery on the passing of his brother Gibb. May he RIP. Seeing Dom’s name in John Warde's post about the Wheatley football team, as well as seeing the Class of 1967 sophomore class photo, warmed my heart. All those familiar faces bring me back to a happy time.”

1975 - Daniel Weiss - “Hi Art, After eight years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I stepped down in June and am now on the faculty at Johns Hopkins. All best, Dan”

Dan Weiss (1975) Returns to Johns Hopkins

“Weiss is considered a leader across the museum landscape for such initiatives as turning down funding from the Sackler family over their connection to the opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma; prioritizing diversity and inclusion in areas ranging from hiring to collections and programming to community engagement; and increasing attendance—under his watch, the museum set records for three years in a row at more than 7 million visitors per year.”

1976 - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Gathering on March 23, 2023

L-R - Steven Johnson, Tom Lonegan, Charlie Cassely, Jo-Anne Mosca-Milana Rizza, Mike Cashin (back row), John Cullen, Tom Romeo, Tom Schilling

Tom Lonegan, Jo Anne Mosca-Milana Rizza, Steven Johnson.

Writes Jo Anne - “My 1976 classmates came down for a golf trip and visit. Tom Lonegan, Steve and I were Arlington Street neighbors. A few of the guys have come to visit over the years I've lived here....always a great time!”

Fan Mail

Administration (Wheatley Principal Joseph Wiener) - “Thank you for another informative edition!” ❤️

Faculty (Steve Ehre) - “Thanks for all you do. Essential reading on my part!” ❤️

1959 (Tracey Lanthier) - “Another great Newsletter. Thanks so much for the information. You do a terrific job.”

1961 (Peter Calderon) - “My personal thanks to you, Keith, and the contributors to our Newsletter is long overdue.”

1961 (Carol Jalonack Blum) - “Read the latest issue of the Newsletter. It's always so interesting and informative.”

1963 (Debby Krane) - “Thank you for your continued great work, Art. Wheatley was such a special school.” ❤️

1963 (Marcia Friedman Mayer) - ❤️

1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth) - ❤️

1964 (Bill Rutenberg) - “I much appreciate all your dedication, as well as Peter Till’s, for keeping the memories alive.”

1966 (Tobi Eisenstein Soskin) - ❤️

1967 (Ilene Kornblath Rosenbaum) - “Thank you for all your hard work.” ❤️

1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - “I am sitting on my daughter’s porch with her husband and Bob and enjoying the newsletter, as usual.” 😊

1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - “You’ve done it again, Art. Great, as always…..and thanks for posting the photos.” ❤️

1968 (George Gettinger) - ❤️

1969 (Paula Panzeca Foresto) - “Thank you, Art, for all your efforts to provide us with these wonderful memories.❤️

1970 (Maria Giordano Gittleman) - ❤️

1970 (Michael Rubin) - ❤️

1971 (Dan Wolf) - “Art, Thanks for keeping the newsletter going.”

1972 (Marc Starr) - ❤️

1974 (Victoria Abbott Pitcavage) - ❤️

1974 (Melanie Artim) - ❤️

1974 (David Caine) - “Thank you for providing us with the Newsletter on a continuous basis. I always enjoy reading the articles and seeing vintage photos, and I appreciate everyone's contributions. First class!” ❤️

1974 (Laura Herbst) - “Thanks for all the time that you devote to the newsletter.”

1975 (Leslie Sinnott) - ❤️

1975 (Dan Weiss) - “Thanks for all you do to keep the Wheatley community connected, which we all appreciate.”

1976 (Robin Hegyi Sisskind) - ❤️

1976 (Leigh Tessler) - ❤️

1977 (Douglas Cooper) - ❤️

1977 (Peter Fitzpatrick) - ❤️

1978 (Scott Satalino) - ❤️

1980 (Karen Kruse Baquet) - ❤️

1983 (Monique Lazar Ruane) - ❤️