Arthur Engoron
April 14, 2025
Dear Wheatley Wildcats and other Interested Persons,
Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 199.
Correction
Ethel “Eydie” Yarwood, who recently passed away, was Class of 1979, not Class of 1975, as Newsletter # 198 reported. Sorry for the error and any resulting confusion.
San Francisco Bay Area Gathering
Larry Rosenthal (1965) Writes - “Art, I am pleased to announce that The Fourth Annual
(?) Unofficial San Francisco Bay Area Wheatley Reunion
Potluck—TFA(?)USFBAWRP-- will be held on Sunday May 4, 2025, noon - 4pm, in
my Berkeley back yard. As before, fellow Berkeleyan Peter Siegel (’66) will
be there, along with Barry Gordon (’65) from the South Bay. Interested
Wildcats, please email me at
larros99@gmail.com. Out-of-towners welcome!
Best, Larry”
Class of 1975 50th-Year Reuion
Mark Harvey (1975) Writes - “The Class of 1975 will be having its 50th-Year Reunion the weekend of October 10-12, 2025. We have school visits planned for Friday (Willets Road) and Saturday (Wheatley). The main event will be a buffet on Sunday from 1-5 at the Fox Hollow Inn, 7755 Jericho Turnpike., Woodbury, NY. The events are open to classmates and friends from other grades. For more information and where to send payment, email us at wheatleyclassof1975@gmail.com.”
Class of 1995 30th-Year Reunion
The Class of 1995's 30th-Year Reunion will be held in NYC on Friday, June 13th, 2025. For more information, please email wheatleyrsvp@gmail.com. Peter Krasny
Faculty - Edward Ouchi Revisited
Susan Obrant (1964) Writes - “Mr Ouchi inspired me. I remember coming up with a personal symbolism in a Joseph Conrad novel we read, and he totally understood and acknowledged my adolescent theory. He will remain in my core always.”
David Packer (1970) Writes - “I have read some of the extensive correspondence about Mr. Ouchi. By the time I encountered him, he seemed to be a special guest lecturer in my English class rather than a full-time teacher. But he still made quite an impression on me. Yes, he had a commanding style and what might be called a ‘definitive personality,’ but for me, the takeaways were all good and useful. I understood sentence structure in a way that gave meaning to the placement of commas, for example. Another take away was when to use ‘I’ and ‘me,’ which you hear done incorrectly by many educated people, even script writers, where ‘I’ is stuck in everywhere although ‘me’ is correct. His rule of thumb was to remove any other direct objects as in “Arthur gave it to Joe and I. You would never say ‘Arthur gave it to I,’ so ‘Joe and me’ is correct.”
Book Review - Wheatley Author/Reviewer
Shelley “Sheli Nan” Hershcopf (1968) Writes - “Greetings all. I just finished reading “To the Midnight Sun” by classmate Stephen Saletan (1968). Many of us have families that came here from Russia, as did mine. This book is not only a memoir of Stephen’s family, it is also a wide-ranging history of Russia from approximately 1886 to current times. It is written with poetic clarity and historical facts. I found it absolutely fascinating and was able to relate it at times to my own families’ journey.
As well, growing up in the Country Club and knowing Stephen when we were young, it brought a reminiscent sensibility to my understanding both of my upbringing and my family and the breadth of history that is deeply explored in the book.
If you have family from Russia, read this book. If you come from the ‘Club,’ read this book. If you are interested in Russian history, revolution, exile and return, this marvelous book is for you.”
Graduates
1958 + 1967 - Carol Gettleman Berkowitz and Art Engoron
|
Art and Carol at La Petite Framboise, Port Washington, April 6, 2025
1966 and 1967 - Claude Lévy and Art Engoron - Max SoHa - April 3, 2025
|
L-R - Claude Lévy (1966) and Art Engoron (1967)
|
“SoHa” stands for “South Harlem.” Max is Max Caffe. The cuisine is Italian.
1969 - Steve Gelberg - Author
Writes Steve - The State University of New York Press just published a book that I wrote, which seems to be getting a good deal of attention.
What if music wasn’t just background to a psychedelic experience — but the portal itself? In this week’s MAPS Bulletin feature, we dive into Tuning In: Experiencing Music in Psychedelic States, a luminous new book by Steven J. Gelberg with a foreword by psychedelic therapy pioneer William A. Richards. Drawing on first-person trip reports, mystical traditions, and decades of clinical insight, Gelberg explores how music under psychedelics can become a language of the soul — expressing what words never could.
This isn’t your typical take on “good vibes.” From ancient Sufi mystics to Aldous Huxley, from 1960s acid rockers to the playlists of today’s psychedelic therapists, Tuning In traces how music operates as both map and medium in altered states. Gelberg doesn’t just analyze the experience — he’s lived it, curated it, and rendered it with stunning humanistic insight. The book includes reflections on genre (ambient, classical, “world music”), deep dives into synesthetic perception, and practical wisdom for therapists and psychonauts alike.
“In psychedelic states, music is no longer music as we ‘know’ it. It shape-shifts into something vastly more significant — multi-dimensional, alive, and capable of opening portals to other worlds. Music becomes a nonverbal language expressing the deepest truths of human consciousness.”
— Steven J. Gelberg, Tuning In
As MAPS continues to create the space for the cultural and clinical conversation on psychedelic healing, Tuning In is a timely and vital companion. It challenges the clinical-only lens and argues for a richer, more immersive understanding of what happens when you truly listen. This is more than a book — it’s a score for explorers of consciousness.
1969 - Gerry Gersh - Jill Simon Forte (1967) Writes - “Wow, what an incredible story about Gerry Gersh and his experiences. I am always impressed by people that have courage (that I never had) and go to extreme lengths in their lives and find out about the world.”
1972 - Donnis Gomes Newman, Arlene “Ally” Acker, and Linda Kaufman Schroeder reuniting in Florida
|
L-R - Donnis Gomes Newman, Arlene “Ally” Acker, and Linda Kaufman Schroeder reuniting at Siesta Key, Sarasota, Florida, April 6, 2025
|
L-R - Linda Kaufman Schroeder, Arlene Ally Acker, Donnis Gomes Newman - Siesta Key, Sarasota, Florida, April 6, 2025
1979 - Wendy McClure Writes - “Ethel ‘Eydie’ Yarwood (1979) will be deeply missed. She was a very loving, supportive, and Beautiful person. Eydie and I played basketball and field hockey together, along with Jodi Amore Greco, Janeann Preston Ruscillo, Tracy Phalen Pupo, Eileen Krezminski, Jeannine Abbott, Valerie Athans, Ileen Weiss, Mary Benz-Colucci, Mary Paluszek, Janet King (all 1979), and more!
1980 - Adam Goldstein - “I always liked Coach Jack ‘Cat’ Davis. He was a straight shooter. And there was something cat-like and graceful in his movements. In the summer of 1975, my family moved from Westbury to Old Westbury. I had played football at W. Tresper Clarke in the 7th grade. I raised my hand for football in 8th grade at Wheatley at a rally before the season started.
But I didn't join the team. I met new friends, got interested in girls and music, etc. I stopped attending gym class, believing it was completely unnecessary (being active on my own and all). So, as a senior, I had incompletes for gym that I had tried to remedy in summer school (summer school at Mineola for gym class! Was I the only one in Wheatley history?) So, I still had incompletes and went to Cat Davis before the 1979 season started. I offered my services to the football team for passing grades in gym class. Mr. Davis (I never would have called him Cat) said to come out and play football - no guarantees, but we'll see what can be done. He also remembered me raising my hand for football - 4 years earlier!
We went 5-3 to post the last winning record in Wheatley football history. All of our losses were early in the season and never by more than a touchdown. With a little more confidence (and a better passing game) we could easily have gone undefeated. We had 2 great players who could have played on any team - Rich Pistocchi at running back and Greg Schreiber at linebacker and fullback. Both always played hurt. Pistocchi was the most exciting running back I'd seen. Like Barry Sanders. I started at receiver, but we were a running offense. I dislocated my shoulder and had to have an operation. I guess that was enough sacrifice for Cat. I passed gym, graduated on time, and went to two great universities. I might not have even graduated HS on time if not for Mr. Davis.”
Fan Mail
1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - “Thank you for another wonderful issue. So much fun to visit the past with many of my classmates.”
1968 (Leslie Wolowitz) - “Art, I look forward to reading the Newsletter. Thank you.”
1972 (Jeff Asquith) - “Thanks for all that you do!”
1972 (Linda Kaufman Schroeder) - “Arthur, Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication, publishing news of Wheatley alumni from various years! Reading what people are doing is always a joy.”
1979 (Wendy McClure) - “Thanks and Love, Wendy McClure🙏♥️🙏.”
1982 (Corey Klestadt) - “Thank you for your your commitment to the Wheatley Community!”
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 # 198 was viewed 2,870 times and was liked seven times. In all, 4,737 email addresses received Newsletter # 198. In March, the Newsletter was accessed approximately 14,100 times.
The Usual Words of Wisdom
Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 198 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 # 199. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.
Art
Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967