Welcome to The Wheatley School
Alumni Association Newsletter # 229
The Luncheon Is Filling Up Nicely; A Myster/Romance Novel; Class of 1967 Reunion; An Inaugural Graduate;
A French Themed Birthday Pary; Another Motorcycle Man....
Arthur Engoron
Sep 17, 2025
The Wheatley School Alumni Association 2025 New York City
Luncheon - Friday, 10/3/2025 - 12:30-3:30 PM - Rosie O’Grady’s - 148 West
51st Street - ALL CLASSES WELCOME!!!
The food was chosen by acclamation
and will be delicious. The private room holds forty, and 28 people have
signed up and paid. Suggested Price - $125 pp. Wildcat Angel Price - $150. If
you can’t pay that, pay less, or pay nothing. Pay via Zelle to ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM or mail check
made out to Arthur Engoron to 117 Plandome Road, Manhasset, New York 11030.
Mystery/Romance
Novel by Ken Martin (1960)
Ken Writes - The book takes place in New York City and the
Adirondacks. Should you care to read it, you can order it online. I suggest
using Amazon. Your choices include an eBook, which you download to your
tablet or computer. It is the least expensive of the options and costs $3.99.
The paperback is $19.99. Probably the easiest way is to use Amazon, although
the book is on over 40 other platforms, including Walmart and Barnes and
Noble. If you use Amazon, here is the link:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+bard+beyond+a+reasonable+doubt+love+story&crid=30AEVTQXX2G4A&sprefix=%2Caps%2C322&/a>
BTW-I did not set the prices. Amazon did, and it is the lowest they go for a
novel of its length.
You can also use the title if the above link does not
work or if you prefer to use platforms other than Amazon. It is entitled: THE
BARD (BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT) LOVE STORY
All profits made from sale of the book initially will be donated to charity -
50% to St Jude’s Hospital for Children and 50% to the Salvation Army. Should
you read the book and enjoy it, please pass the information on to friends and
family - it is my way of networking. And if you feel up to it, kindly write a
short review and send to Amazon.
Thank you.
Ken
Dear Classmates, With 2026 just a few months away, our
very own Barbara Smith Stanisic thinks we should start planning for a
60th-year reunion. OK, let’s start, beginning with asking for volunteers to
help plan and execute. Let’s get the ball rolling. Art
1958 - Ed Brown - “Greetings Fellow Wildcats, As I read all the Alumni
Association Newsletters, I feel a bit ‘guilty’ for not having contributed to
any of them, especially as I am one of the Class of 1958 – the first class,
the class that chose the school colors, chose the mascot, established the
traditions, and set the standards that made Wheatley what was, and still is,
the Number One Public High School in the Nation!
These days, there are fewer and fewer of my classmates
still around. And since we have spread out all around the country and,
indeed, around the world, we don’t get to see each other very much these
days. We had a 65th-year class reunion two years ago, which was naturally
attended by many fewer graduates than the 60th,
five years earlier. (Will we have a 70th? I truly
hope so.)
As I read the Newsletters and see the bios of other
Wildcats, I feel that I might enter my own story. So. at the risk of boring
you all, let me tell you a bit about what this ‘ancient’ Wildcat has become
today!
I don’t have to tell you how old I am, as that should
be obvious from my Class Year. I am still ‘vertical and on the right side of
the grass.’ I run, bike, and work out with a trainer seven days a week. And I
see every kind of doctor regularly, just to make sure all the ‘parts’ are
still ‘working.’ But after a very exciting fifty-five-year long career in our
Defense Department, I am now retired and sort of BORED!!!
I am a ‘snowbird’ – six months a year in Massachusetts
outside of Boston, and six months in Palm Beach, Florida. My three kids and
seven grandkids are (blessedly) all doing very well – jobs, schools,
activities, and, most importantly, health! I work on various ‘activities,’
belong to several social ‘clubs,’ and try to keep in touch with my various
relatives and older friends. But I do feel badly about not being able to keep
in touch with many of my Wheatley classmates.
I have great memories and feelings about our School, as
I sit in my home office and look up at my Wheatley Diploma, which is framed
up on the wall, or open up my copy of the first edition of the Aurora, our
annual Wheatley Year Book. And on those rare occasions when I happen to be
back up to New York, I will drive out to the Island and drive by my old home
in Westwood and then drive over to Wheatley and actually get out and go in to
walk the halls for a bit.
I feel very proud to be one of the ‘founding members’
of what became such an extraordinary institution. And so, I wish you and
yours all the Best, and keep up the great work that is our heritage. GO
WILDCATS!!”
1966 (Richard Jalonack) -
“I remembered a few more items
about my (very pampered) upbringing in Old Westbury.
One Sunday morning, an
Old Westbury policeman came to our door. Evidently, some of my illustrious
‘friends’ had tossed a book of mine out the school bus window. The policeman
was returning the book, because it had my name and address on the cover. Now
that's service with a smile.
On another note, when I
first moved to Old Westbury, the mail was NOT delivered to your house;
instead, you had to pick it up at the Old Westbury Post Office. The post
office was a (very) old and small wooden building and general store operated
by the Postmaster, who was Christine Tatem's (1966) dad. Some readers will
remember her. Dad would have to drive to the post office if we wanted to get
our mail. I don't remember when the mail was delivered to our house.”
1967 and 1972 - Art
Engoron, Mitch Stephens, Beth Stephens, Phil Wild
Art Writes - On Saturday,
September 13, 2025, in an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan,
Mitch Stephens and Esther Davidowitz, who have been together for 53 years and
have recently returned from six weeks in Paris, celebrated her 75th birthday with
a French-themed party.
L-R - Phil Wild
(1972), King Louis XIV (a/k/a Mitch Stephens) (1967), Art Engoron (1967),
Beth Stephens (1972)
Mitch and Art
(disguised as a 21st-Century American and wearing his iconic Wheatley
60th-Year Anniversary Celebration T-Shirt)
L-R - Napoleon
Bonaparte (a/k/a Seth Stephens, Mitch’s son) and Mitch (displaying more hair
than usual).
1971 (Wayne L. Peiser) - “Art: How East Willisliston looked in the olden days is
fascinating. I remember the old houses along East Williston Avenue leading up
to the Long Island Rail Road Station, the dry cleaner, and the fire station.
Just to the south was the East Williston Library.”
1972 - Howard Davidson Responds to
Motorcycle Man Gregory Fitzpatrick (1970): “Hi Gregory, Great to see I’m not the only Wheatley
alumnus that’s been bitten by the long-distance motorcycle travel bug. I’ve
managed 300,000 miles over the last few years, including 49 states and Canada
and a month-long trip to New Zealand last year. I’m off to Northern Thailand
in October. I’ve ridden a few certified Iron Butt rides along
the way. Your current trip sounds fantastic and makes me a little jealous.
I’m in Connecticut and always happy to talk road stories.”
Movie Set - New
Zealand
Key West
Northern West
Coast
Utah
Howard’s first
100,000 mile award from BMW.
Art Engoron - Some years
ago.
Fan Mail
1966 (Richard Jalonack) - “Art, as usual, the Wheatley Newsletter is superb.”
1966 (Claude Levy) - “Thanks for this issue, Art.”
1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - “Thank you Art. Great pictures.”
1975 (Michael Silber) - “I love the updates.”
1984 (Peter Saridakis) - “Great issue. I love the historical pictures of East
Williston! Thank you, Kathryn Sterritte Brown!”
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, the Wheatley School Alumni Newsletter # 228 was
viewed 4,420 times, was liked five times, and was commented upon twice. In
all, 4,811 email addresses received Newsletter # 228.
The Usual Words of Wisdom
Thanks to our fabulous
Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale
yourself with the first 227 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 New Yorker type 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 # 228. Please send me your autobiography before
someone else sends me your obituary.
Art
Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967
WHEATLEYALUMNI@AOL.COM
ARTENGORON@GMAIL.COM
WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG
646-872-4833