Dear Wildcats!
Wildcat Musical Performance
Takemi Ueno (Class of 1983) will play with the Litha Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, August 24, at 7 pm, at the Church of the Holy Apostles (296 Ninth Ave., at 28th St.). The program consists of Mahler's Sixth Symphony. Tickets ($25) are available at The Sounds of Destiny: Tragedy Unbound
John Fitzgerald Kennedy - November 22, 1963
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Elvira “Vivi” Cilmi Kunz (1964) Writes - “All the memories of JFK’s assassination are still difficult for me. I cried for days.”
Susan Obrant (1964) Writes - “Thanks Sydell (Horowitz Weiner, 1964) for the memory of Kennedy! Beautifully written, as well.”
Bob Halper (1965) Writes - Art, I’m writing to support Sydell Horowitz Weiner’s (1964) version of the events of November 22, 1963. If memory serves me correctly—a dubious assumption these days—Mr. Loring was on the stage announcing that the president had been shot. I also have some slight recollection that Doctor Wells came into the auditorium at some point and from a position mid-way down one of the aisles stated that the president was dead.
Rather than take the bus home, as I had no desire to hear a lot of speculation, I walked with Ellen (Forman) Feldman to her house, and we spent the day together trying to make sense of the assassination. Something that wasn’t remotely possible at the time. However, Ellen and I formed a lifelong bond over our connection that day, and we still communicate every year on the anniversary of Kennedy’s death.
Almost as big a shock several days later was watching Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. It was lunchtime, and I was eating off a tray table, having a salami sandwich with chips and a coke when the incident occurred. It was hard to believe what I had just witnessed.
Now a shameless plug for Mr. Loring. I don’t recall hearing him referred to as ‘Boring Loring,, although a dynamic speaker he wasn’t. He was, however, a good teacher: smart, knowledgeable, and he conveyed an excellent understanding of the material he presented. Boring—while not good—is not the worst trait a teacher can have. I would vote for incompetent. Fortunately, there were only a few of those at Wheatley.”
Judith Oppenheim Darrah (1972)
Writes - “After reading
Newsletter # 169 my memories of the Kennedy Assassination and Mrs Gunderson
swirled around my mind. Although neither took place while I was at Wheatley,
I felt the need to share.
On that horrible day in November I sat in class at Willets Road School (3rd
or 4th grade) with either Mrs. Dehler? or Mrs. Flior. Philip Wild (1972) came
rushing in and told us the news. Classes were dismissed and we were sent
home. My next memories were of sitting on the floor in front of our black
& white tv and watching, endlessly watching. John Kennedy was the only
President I knew. He was handsome and his wife was beautiful, just like my
mom and dad, and they had children just like us. We watched for days. I will
never forget them.
Jo Ann Bregman Miles (1972) wrote of our second grade
teacher, Mrs. Gunderson. She clearly affected Jo Ann’s future in wonderful
ways. I will always remember her as my favorite teacher. She opened our young
minds to the beauty of art, music, and dance. The classroom desks were always
in a circle, which seemed so special (after the strict rows of 1st grade).
When she played on the piano, we all gathered around with our chairs, and if
you were lucky enough to be close enough we played along on her bench. She
taught us ‘communication’ and how to spell it, my first big word! I still
spell it in the cadence she taught.
Mrs. Gunderson lived near
the Roslyn train station in the red brick apartments on Roslyn Road. She kept
a rooster figurine in her window. I waved to it when I passed as a child, and
I smiled at it as a teen, and as an adult I haven’t forgotten the beauty to
which she exposed us. I can still see her face and the dark dresses she wore
every day. I am older today than she was when she helped open my mind to so
many beautiful arts.
Two very different memories of a young child that remain a part of me all
these decades later.”
Ilisa Bartner Chaconas (1982) Writes - “Good afternoon Art. I have been reading along about everyone's experiences of President Kennedy's assassination, and I wanted to share my own. My mom (whom I unfortunately lost just 4.5 months ago) was 18 years old at the time and engaged to be married to my father, who was serving in the US Navy. Their wedding was scheduled to take place after his discharge, sometime in 1964.
When President Kennedy was assassinated, my mother was utterly devastated - he was the future, the hope of all young persons, finally someone the youth could relate to was elected POTUS. She volunteered for JFK and would have voted for him in 1964.
Anyway, my father's ship happened to be docked in Charleston, SC and he encouraged my mother to come see him so he could soothe her himself. Well, guess what? She went, they eloped, and I arrived exactly nine months and nine days later.
One could say that if it wasn't for President Kennedy's assassination, I wouldn't be here today. My mom always loved that something so beautiful (to her) came from one of the worst days of her life.”
'Hood Food History
Ellen Genat Hoffman (1964) Writes - “Hi Art, Interesting that it took food to bring out so many memories!
Two nearby restaurants that haven’t been mentioned were Albertson Inn and Westbury Manor. Both were quite upscale for the time. My parents sometimes went to Albertson Inn with friends. It was very special when our family went. They had excellent Long Island Duckling. Westbury Manor was even more special. I liked it so much, having eaten dinner there only once or twice, that I had my wedding there. They had rooms upstairs where you could get ready, and you could have the entire place for an event if it were in the afternoon. We also liked the Jolly Fisherman, already mentioned. My Mother ate dishes that seemed very exotic, like raw oysters, cherrystone clams, and lobster; my Father and I usually would get fried shrimp.”
Art Engoron (1967) Writes - Newsletter # 125 contained the following history of Westbury Manor:
Westbury Manor was built in the the 1880s by the Titus Family, descendants of Quaker settlers. It was so solidly constructed that its walls were a yard-thick with interior partitions filled with sand and brick. Interior woodwork was all heavy walnut. The house and farm land were sold in 1910 to John R. Hill and the house moved from the north to the south side of Jericho Turnpike. During WWI, Mr. Hill enlisted in the army and rented the house to Mrs. Robert Bacon, wife of the U.S. Secretary of State, who used it as a residence for young women volunteering at Camp Mills. The Manor House was sold after WWI, but during the Great Depression, it reverted back to the seller, when the then owner was unable to pay mortgage interest and taxes. The entire Hill family moved back into the house and stayed until 1946, when it was again sold and converted into a restaurant, the Westbury Manor. A large part of the clientele at that time was from the United Nations, then located at the Sperry's facility in Lake Success, and from nearby Roosevelt Raceway patrons. In 1961, the restaurant was acquired by Carl Hoppl, who operated it until 1981. It has been sold twice since, still operates as a restaurant, and is one of Long Island's premier wedding and event venues. Wheatley Alumni Newsletter # 125
Bruce Orosz (1967) writes - “Ricky’s restaurant in Roslyn was one of my favorite spots…..great clams oreganata!!!”
Benjamin Ross (1967) Writes - “The slogan of Snow White Bakery has somehow stuck in my mind: ‘Butter makes it better.’”
Ellen Barnett Diana (1972) Writes - “Eddie’s Pizza New Hyde Park,….Fern’s in Roslyn,…My Father's Place in Roslyn,…Wagon Wheels in Williston Park,….Mahoney’s in Williston Park - A Stroll Down Memory Lane! Also, Rudy’s Potato Salad for the Barnett Clan.”
Susan Shapiro (1969) Writes - “The Swan Club, which my father owned, in Roslyn Harbor, down the road from the Engineers Country Club, was a restaurant, in addition to having four rooms for special occasions, such as weddings, etc. The restaurant was known for its ‘Shore Dinner,’ consisting of choice of soup, salad, steamers, 1 1/4 lb. lobster, plus desert, etc. Back in the '60s you could have it all for $4.95! Well, that price is what I remember. The Swan Club was also known for its clam bisque and clam chowder, and if you couldn’t decide which, you could have a combo of both. Mmm, so good!”
The George Washington Manor, across from the Roslyn Clock Tower, also deserves to be included on the Wheatley Eatery List. I had never been there until my 40th-year Class Reunion, sometime after which new owners changed the name to “Hendrick’s Tavern.’”
1970 - Robert Abramowitz - Facebook Photo
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Graduates
1961 - Audrey Lewis Johnson Writes - “Great photo of the seven gal pals! A very special fun group!!!”
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The newsletter also brought back memories of Mrs. Smiley, the Principal of Willets Road. I do believe that even though her name was ‘Smiley,’ she never smiled. If she walked into the cafeteria, all the students froze, and nobody spoke a word. Teaching back then was certainly different....we were lucky not to have had mobile telephones, computers, calculators, social media, and all the other diversions that today, in my humble opinion, inhibit learning. I am a retired Middle School Teacher, oy vey.”
1968 - Asoka Bandarage - “On August 15, 2024, in Washington DC, I will be talking publicly about my book, Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World. I’d love to see some DC area Wheatley graduates at this free event.” EVENTBRITE PAGE
Amy Jacoby Budish (1970) Writes - “Our beloved mom, Doris Krohn Jacoby, died in March, having almost made it to 103! Up until a short time before her death, she was planning her birthday party! My brother, Jeremy ArbitalJacoby, and I were supposed to hire a good humor truck to visit the Shepherd Lane playground that was across the street from our former home! I regret that it couldn’t happen.”
1983 - Marian Brown - “I greatly enjoyed classmate Michael Pliskin's all-Wheatley wedding update.
I had a long, fun career in book publishing, working at houses such as Simon and Schuster and Random House, and leading PR campaigns for New York Times bestselling authors such as Salman Rushdie, Anne Lamott, Tina Brown, James Carville, Lesley Stahl, Ken Burns and John Stamos, among many others.
Currently, I live on the Upper West Side and travel often to Seattle to see my 20 year-old-daughter Natalie dance with the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
My extended Wheatley family includes brother Daniel Brown (1981) and cousins Andrew Rotman-Zaid (Class of 1970, deceased), Adam Zaid (Class of 1977), Susan Klein Elicks (Class of 1977), Emily Klein Roberts (Class of 1982), Kayla Roberts (Class of 2021), and current 11th graders Logan and Gillian Roberts.
Fan Mail
Faculty (Robert Brandt) - “Always a delight to read.” ❤️
1960 (Carl Stewart) - “You are doing a really terrific job getting the Newsletter out to those eagerly awaiting it. Bravo!”
1961 (Joan Bressman Hoffman) - ❤️
1963 (Donna Harmelin Rivkin) - “Thank you, Art, for allowing us to travel back in time. Hearing all the stories brings back so many memories of shared experiences.” ❤️
1964 (Andrea Alpert Robbins) - “What a wonderful surprise to happen to wake up at 3 a.m. and be able to read a new Wheatley Alumni Newsletter!!...Thanks always, Art and Keith!!”
1964 (Elvira “Vivi” Cilmi Kunz) - “Hi Art, Once again, thank you so much for the work you are doing.”
1964 (Ellen Genat Hoffman) - “Thanks so much for keeping at it for all of us Wheatleyites. We appreciate it so much.”
1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️
1965 (Jane Goldenberg Fire) - ❤️
1965 (Clifford Montgomery) - “Great edition as always, Art. Thank you.”
1965 (Vicki Thaler) - ❤️
1967 (Bruce Orosz) - “Good newsletter again.”
1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - 💕💕
1968 (Asoka Bandarage) - “Hi Art, Thanks for keeping the Wheatley spirit alive!”
1969 (Susan Shapiro) - “Keep up the good work.”
1970 (Jonathan Gold) - “Great Newsletter yet again.” ❤️
1972 (Sherry Goldberg Gottlieb) - ❤️
1972 (Debra Soffer Beilin) - “Thank you Art. So grateful for your gift to us Wildcats.”
1982 (Ilisa Bartner Chaconas) - “I love the newsletters; keep up the great work.”
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.
In the first 24 or so hours after publication, Wheatley Alumni Newsletter # 170 was viewed 3,092 times, was liked 13 times, and was commented on five times. In all, 4,726 email addresses received Newsletter # 170. For all of July, the Newsletter was accessed 20,400 times, an increase of 261 times, and there were 4,726 subscribers at the end of the month, one less than at the end of June.
The Usual Words of Wisdom
Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 169 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 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 # 171. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.
Art