Wheatley Luncheons Spring Back to Life (in the fall).....and the Usual Goodies

 

The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 213

Wheatley Luncheons Spring Back to Life (in the fall).....and the Usual Goodies
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 213.

Wheatley Alumni NYC Luncheons Redux

Art Engoron (1967) Writes - From 2013 to 2020, I organized eight Wheatley Alumni NYC Luncheons. As fate would have it, I scheduled the eighth one for early April of 2020. Does that ring any bells??? Obviously, I was forced to cancel it……and I just never revived them.

Approximately 20 people attended each one, and each one was at a different venue. IMHO, they were all unqualified successes. Recently, a graduate who had attended one or more, asked me to revive them

I plan to organize one for Friday, October 3, 2025, probably from 1:00 to 3:00, and almost certainly to be held at Pepolino (of course…..where else?), 281 West Broadway, NYC, directly above the Canal Street Station of the IND A, C, and E subway lines.

So, if you are interested in attending, please save the date, and please let me know any bright ideas you might have. Meanwhile, I’ll firm up the details and continue to spew out more information.

Class of 1988 40th-Year Reunion

Soraya Mosleh-Brooks (1988) Writes - The Wheatley School Class of 1988 40th-Year Reunion planning has begun. Initial planners David Mahaffey, Soraya Mosleh-Brooks, and Maya Sabot have rounded up three of our four Senior Class officers: Co-President David Polonet; Co-President Amy Levine; and Secretary Amy Warman Kates (we are still trying to locate Treasurer Clare Burns). We have already held a few reunion planning meetings.

We want to hear from you! Please complete the forms below.

We are looking for your updated contact info, reunion ideas, and possible venues. You are welcome to participate in Zoom reunion calls and reunion planning. The NYC metro area will likely be the location.

Forms

In addition, we have been using The Wheatley School - Class of 1988 Facebook page. If you’re not a fan of FB, feel free to contact us directly:

We look forward to reconnecting with each of you 😊❤️

Kind regards, Soraya

The North Side School Fire

Richard Jalonack (1966) Writes - “Art, I was in the 4th grade at North Side when I was gifted with a day or two off due to the fire. When I went to Wheatley, I remember lining up single file (“for our protection”) and being MARCHED through the halls to various classes. As my memory fades (rapidly now) I remember little of my 4th grade. As people write of their fire experiences, the names of various teachers I had remind me that they were wonderful educators.”

Graduates

1961 - Michael Harvey and Mark Luria - Football Buddies

1960 - Joanne Festa - “Hi Art, Soon to turn 83, I am still here. As much as we loved Long Island, Henry and I are now living at a Luxury Flatirons Community in Colorado. Many family members are living in nearby towns or as far south as Salida, CO. Weather here is unique. We can have rain, wind, snow and sunshine all in one day. We do miss the four seasons of Long Island, the ocean with soft sand beaches, and magnificent sunrises 🌅. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Smiles, Joanne Festa 😊

1964 + 1965 + 1967 - Jesse Samberg, Bob Halper, and Art Engoron

L-R - Art Engoron (1967), Jesse Samberg (1964), and Bob Halper (1965) lunching at Pepolino, 281 West Broadway, New York City, June 30, 2025

On a sultry summer day in New York City, try as they might, these three alleged Wheatley graduates were unable to solve all the world’s problems (or, frankly, any of them), or even figure where they are and whither they are going.

1965 - Barry Gordon (Responding to Andy Summers, 1967) Writes - “Brother Andy,

Thank you for your positive life update!

I have been using and practicing my Carnegie Mellon University (‘CMU’) degrees for 56 years and still love it. I am even helping Bill Gates's company with his new reactor design.

Apparently, I will also be supporting the class ‘Metal Environment Interactions’ next fall at CMU with Professor Bryan Webler.

Good stuff!

Barry

1966 - Claude Levy - “I’m glad that Peter Calderon liked my airplane story. His mentioning of Gene Razzetti brought back memories from a journey I took to Cuba. A choral conductor, I had asked to meet a local colleague, and the connection was so good that we considered having a choir exchange. The caveat was that the piece I wanted to perform was called ‘Human Rights’ and that we (obviously) were told to be cautious. Anyway, COVID struck, and this was the end of the story.

That’s me, standing next to Director Honey Moreira and her choir, Cantores de Cienfuegos (Photo Credit Lauren Taylor).

And I have another story!

My late ex-girlfriend had given me a taste for adventurous travel, and in 1990, we embarked on a several-week trip to Bolivia, with a brief stopover in Peru. After spending the night in a Lima hotel, we learned with dismay that our plane tickets between Lima and La Paz were invalid because they needed to be reconfirmed. This was before the Internet, and no one had explained this to us. Fortunately, a well-dressed gentleman, upon hearing of our mishap, spoke with the airline employees and resolved our problem. I'll never know if, without this gentleman's intervention, the solution would have been discreetly to hand over a few dollars (or sols) along with our passports.

Upon our arrival in La Paz, the gentleman—who spoke excellent French—approached us at baggage claim. He asked us if we had booked a hotel for our first night. When we answered ‘no,’ he suggested that we stay at his usual hotel. We accepted; it was part of our spirit of adventure. A driver was waiting for us at the terminal exit. We embarked toward the city and, suddenly, the car stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the capital. We were a little perplexed, afraid that the car would speed off again with our luggage, but our suspicions were unfounded.

Upon our arrival at the hotel, after making sure we could get a room, our new friend asked us if we would be interested in visiting his newspaper the next morning. Why not? A meeting was arranged.

When we arrived in front of the facade of El Diario, we noticed that the building was guarded by soldiers, but we refrained from commenting. However, I couldn't help but ask our friend, Mr. Carrasco, if it was a coincidence that he had the same last name as the man whose statue stood in the lobby. ‘Not at all, he's my grandfather,’ he replied. ‘I'm the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, and my brother is the administrative and financial manager. He's right-wing, I'm left-wing, and we manage to work together quite well.’

To thank him for his hospitality, we invited him to a restaurant. After perhaps a little too much to drink, he told us that, in his youth, he had trained in Cuba and had also served in the ‘RAF’—not the Royal Air Force, but the Rote Armee Fraktion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction .
We naturally exchanged addresses, but, as with many travel encounters, we never saw each other again.”

1967 - Laura Jarett and Art Engoron - Dinner at Lusardi’s, June 20, 2025

1967 and 2009 - Art Engoron and Amanda Hartman Ryan - Living it Up

L-R - Amanda Hartman Ryan (2009) and Art Engoron (1967) at Pepolino Restaurant on July 1, 2025. Pasta Heaven in Tribeca.

1971 - Phyllis Orlins Trigg - Deceased

Phyllis passed away on Monday, June 30, 2025. Shiva hours will be at her husband, Wayne’s, condominium, 141 Pond View Dr., Port Washington, New York, on Thursday, July 10th and Friday, July 11th, from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Phyllis had two brothers: Steve Orlins (1968) survives her; David Orlins (1965) pre-deceased her.

Fan Mail

1958 (Howard L.Cohen) - “Thanks for all you do.”

1960 (Raymond C. Roller) - “Your emails bring back many good memories of my years at Wheatley in the Class of 1960.”

1966 (Ricky Jalonack) - “Art, Great effort by you for every Newsletter you do.”

1972 (Susie Spielberger Porter) - “Thanks so much for all that you do.”

1984 (Peter Saridakis) - “Great stuff, as always!!! Thank you!”

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 # 212 was viewed 4,032 times, was liked 13 times, and was commented on four times. In all, 4,758 email addresses received Newsletter # 212. For all of June, Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters were access approximately 20,000 times.

The Usual Words of Wisdom

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 212 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 # 213. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.

Art