Dear Wildcats,

Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 175,

Class of 1964 - 60th-Year Reunion - 9/19

Don’t miss out on The Wheatley Class of 1964 60^th-Year Reunion.

Thursday, September 19, 2024, 5 PM at:

388, a restaurant at 388 Willis Ave. Roslyn Heights, NY. 516-621-3888

Handicapped accessible and close to the LIE and Northern State Parkway.

Cost is $65 per person (plus tax and tip) for a private room, with good Italian food at a decent price.

No payment is due in advance. Just let me know if you plan to come (or not). Partners are welcome.

The following people have said they will attend: Gary Briefel, Vivi Cilmi Kunz, John Corwin, Richard Friedman, Helen Garfinkel Lobel, Ellen Genat Hoffman, Jim Jerome, Rick Kaplin, Gail Knetzer Iannotti, Jim Lerner, Steve Lewis, Ron Miller, Steve Morris, Jim Paley, Joann Pedone Kiernan, Ted Rothstein, Jim Russek, Beth Sack, Jesse Samberg, Karen Schaller Hampton, Steve Simmons, Sue Skarka Miller, David Sobolow, Ellen Solow Holzman, John Sullivan, Davida Tunis Philips, Nancy Gittleson Hodson, Meryl Moritz, Laurie Rubin English, Michele Sklaire Jacobson, Kay Shamitz Leibowitz, Brian Stone, Diane Nissenfeld

The following people hope to attend: Jackie Axel Butensky, Barbara Goldman Krause, Richard Ilsley, Lynn Walsh

Please respond ASAP to: Nancy (Gittleson) Hodson,

nancyhodson64@yahoo.com

516-972-2135 (cell)

Class of 1974 50th-Year Reunion - 10/19

Class of 2004 20th-Year Reunion - 10/26

Faculty

Rick Frishman (1972) Writes - “In 1964 I was 10-years-old and had used crutches for three years (due to Legg Perthes disease). I attended Uncle Joe Draizen’s Judo class, and it changed my life. What a wonderful man?! I think of him often.”

Susan Rotholz (1975) Writes - “Dear Art, I have been reading all the entries about Mrs. Gunderson, and I remember having her in second grade. She was the only teacher who had our desks in a big circle so that we could see each other and her. Everybody tried to behave, because we knew that if you didn’t behave, Mrs. Gunderson would not raise her voice, not say anything humiliating, she would just stop what she was saying in mid-sentence, look at you for a long, long time, long enough for all the other students to realize what was happening and look around to see at whom she was looking. That stopped everyone from misbehaving. In second grade we learned the word ‘communication’; we wrote it on the blackboard, and we learned how to spell it, and I was so proud that I could spell such a long word!

The most beautiful part of being in Mrs. Gunderson’s class was doing modern dance with all the students in the middle of the circle. My mother, Rina Rotholz, made about 25 solid-chiffon-colored scarves for the class. Amazing Rina Rotholz! We would dance holding the corner of the scarf and it would float up into the air while we spun around and moved to the music. There, in a simple classroom, we would be in the midst of a whole class of kids, dancing to the beautiful music, and being a part of this colorful menagerie of scarves just flying up all over us. It was wonderful. What teacher does that?! She was so beautiful with her tall figure, peaceful face, and kindness emanating.

Mrs. Gunderson lived in Roslyn Village on the hill, and we always knew which was her window because there were two ceramic white doves on the sill. When you passed on the way to the duck pond or library or movie theater or My Father’s Place, you could look up and see the two doves and you knew that it was Mrs. Gunderson’s house! Hi, Mrs. Gunderson!”

Graduates

1961 - Jerry Mintz - “I also remember tennis coach John Nogrady, having taken a lesson or two from him. I think that he also taught at the Roslyn Country Club.”

1962 - William Cerillo - “In reply to the Steve Nelson (1958) / Bob Freiman (1962) post:

Steve Nelson’s post about bumping into Bob Freiman, Class of 1962, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, brought back a similar memory of mine. In 1985 I left Washington, DC and moved to Scottsdale, AZ, where I joined the state’s largest law firm. My then lady friend worked as an inhouse lawyer for Citicorp. She suggested we join one of her coworkers, ‘Mitch,’ also a lawyer at Citicorp, and his wife for dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown Phoenix. We discussed how we all ended up in Phoenix. Mitch mentioned that he had lived on Long Island, as had I, in East Williston. I asked where he went to high school. “Wheatley,” was his answer. He was Mitch Mudick, Class of 1971. Me, Class of 1962.

So, you never know who or where you will meet a fellow Wheatleyite. My meet-up lacks the interesting background of Steve Nelson meeting Bob Freiman in Williamstown (a blind dog being transported in a stroller). On the other hand, it took place over 2500 miles from Wheatley, in Phoenix, Arizona. Further evidence that we Wheatleyites get around. We are all over!

My story ends when my lady friend was transferred to Citicorp’s St. Louis office, and shortly thereafter I joined a mid-sized law firm in San Francisco, where I remained until I retired in 1998.”

1965 - Louise Kampa Triano - “Seeing some 1965ers. It’s the big 60 next year!”❤️

1966 - Rick Jalonack - “Art, Joe Draizen was at my Bar Mitzvah, too. I thank Glen Greenbaum for reminding me about the regular ‘Blood Letting.’ Such fond memories of youth.….the things we remember!

Bottom Row - L-R - Adrienne Lagin, Susan Berger, Rick Jalonack, Mark Gross (1968)

1967 - Jill Simon Forte - “I’m sitting in Connecticut thinking about Old Westbury, about driving my mom’s car to school (about which the school didn’t know 🙄🤣🤣🤣🤣), and about going to my future husband Bob’s (Robert Forte, 1965) Senior Day in his Corvette. Yeah, I was always a rebel.”

1972 - Linda Kaufman Schroeder - “Hi Art, While unpacking boxes from a recent move to Tennessee, I found this program for ‘Anything Goes’ as performed at Wheatley in 1971 or 1972. The program brought back many positive memories for me. I still remember many of the actors/actresses who performed, along with the staff. Dr. Wills was a wonderful Director, always looking for perfection … but open to edits and other suggestions.

The program is long, but the people who participated (and some of the sponsors and advertisers) might get a kick out of this wonderful musical memory performed at Wheatley.

Art Engoron (1967) Writes - I’m hardly a Broadway historian, but I’ve always thought of “Anything Goes,” with words and music by Cole Porter, as about as classic a musical as exists. Anything Goes" Entry in Wikipedia. Linda’s comment about getting “a kick” out of the program might be a subconscious reference to one of the shows most famous and enduring songs, “I Get a Kick Out of you.” Frank Sinatra's verson of "I Get a Kick Out of You". The list of display advertisers is also “classic,” including Pierce Coach Line (a/k/a, “The Bus Company”), Mahoney’s Hillside Restaurant (the subject of recent Newsletter “‘Hood Food History” commentary), East Hills Pharmacy (owned by the family of my classmate, Marshall Jablon), East Williston Greenhouse (from which I once purchased a prom orchid), Knopf Music Shop (I took a few guitar lessons there), and Alfred Hair Stylist (sponsor or my pathetic Little League team, Alfred’s Braves).

The list of Patrons and Sponsors includes such Wheatley legends as Principal Walter Wathey, Guidance Counselor Carolyn Wilfert, North Side/Wheatley Teacher Betty O’Connor, Psychologist Dr. Ethel Staples, Nurse Martha Mikelbank, Athletic Director Paul Nodell, “Coach of the Year” Sheldon Maskin, and front-line teachers too numerous to mention and too memorable to forget.

1974 - Richard DuBow - “Art, After Wheatley, I met my wife at Duke, and we moved to Atlanta, where we raised our kids. I recently retired after 45 years as a financial advisor. I’ll never forget the privileges and opportunities that Wheatley gave me.

Steven Witkoff’s (1975) family lived on Red Ground Road, around the corner from my family on Kings Drive. We frequented Rosevelt Raceway together in the days before checking ID’s was thought a reasonable idea.”

Fan Mail

1975 (Susan Rotholz) - “Thank you for all you do for the Newsletter! I always love reading it!”

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 # 174 was viewed 2.690 times, was liked eight times and was commented on thrice. In all, 4,721 email addresses received Newsletter # 174.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 174 or so Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters (and much other Wheatley data and arcana) at

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

The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter #175