Gathering in Palm Springs CA in March, 2026
for Class of 1972 and All Other Classes – Everyone Is Invited!
Richard Weissman (1972) Writes:
“Hello All Wheatley Wildcats!
You’re all invited to a weekend party at my home in the iconic resort city of
Palm Springs, California, hosted by me and my husband, J.D. Horn. We’re
picking up the tab for the weekend party, so come join us ...
Everyone is invited, including
members of my class (1972) and all other classes, along with
spouses/partners/companions.
This is not an ‘official’
reunion, but a fun gathering in our wonderful city. I have already received
very good initial interest.
We’ll pick a weekend in March, 2026
(a good time of year to visit Palm Springs) for a Saturday evening catered
buffet dinner with champagne and wine, live music, and entertainment,
starting at 5:00 pm. The next day, Sunday, we’ll have a poolside party with a
catered buffet lunch at 11:00 am going through the late afternoon. Attire
will be very casual for both days. If 20 people come, that’s great; if 200
people come, that’s great, too. Again, you are all welcome to join us as our
guests as my husband and I are paying for all party costs. Of course,
everyone needs to provide their own air travel and accommodations. There are
many places to stay at all price points in the city, and getting around Palm
Springs with Lyft/Uber is easy. It’s a small city, and the airport (PSP) is
right downtown. Our house is only eight minutes from downtown.
We’re in the scenic Andreas Hills
neighborhood in Palm Springs, on Avenida Sevilla (just south of downtown),
surrounded by mountains with many hiking trails to enjoy the natural beauty
of the Southern California desert. Our house was designed for large entertaining
and can handle sizable events both indoors and outdoors by the pool, with
functions ranging from 50 to 350+ people. To see some photos of a few of the
many events we’ve hosted, you can go to my website and look at the
‘Charitable & Political’ page: Events at the Weissman/Horn Home
Next Steps:
Please let me know right away of
your interest/thoughts by emailing me directly at rweissman@hotmail.com or through my website
contact page at www.richweissman.com. Let me know if there’s
anything specific you want/need.
Then, I’ll send out an invitation
with the specific weekend date in March, 2026 and a link for RSVP’s, along
with information on local hotels and my specific home address.
And, please spread the word to
other Wildcats.
P.S.:
We also live in San
Francisco (downtown) and at Black Butte Ranch (Central Oregon in the Cascade
Mountains), and have a vacation lodging in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico). If you
live in any of those areas, let me know and we can connect at those
locations.
With love,
Rich (aka Richard)
Weissman
Class of 1972 (but
graduated in 1971 and not in the 1972 yearbook)
Attended North Side
grades 1-6, and then Junior and Senior High at Wheatley
Residences: Palm Springs,
San Francisco, Black Butte Ranch (Central Oregon)
Paul/Bick himself wrote (reprint from Wheatley Alumni Association Newsletter # 93):
“My father was the Sports Editor of the New York Post,
which back then had one of the largest circulations of any newspaper in the
Nation. His press pass got us into any sporting event that he wanted to
attend, as the venue hoped for good coverage. He also owned his own
advertising agency.
His passing at a
relatively early age changed my whole life. I would have attended William
& Mary (dad’s school), but I had to go to William & Mary, Norfolk
Division, which became Old Dominion University when W&M divested itself
of the college. That was so I could live with his older brother, who was
wonderful and a bachelor (until he married at 63 years of age!). His help and
guidance was wonderful, but I still had to work my way through college, as my
mom did not make enough money to pay for it and raise my sister and brother.
It took me seven years to graduate, including my time in the army (as I did
not take a full load of classes one semester due to having to work a full
time job!)”
Carol Keister McCormick (1962)
Writes - Art, My brother, Paul
(“Bick”) Keister, Class of 1960, passed away on Thursday,
November 13, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, with his wife, Betsy, by his side.
He is survived by Betsy, three sons (Paul, Matthew, and Tyler) and four
grandchildren. He was always the life of the party, and had many good Wheatley
friends he kept in touch with. He was a wonderful brother, and I will miss
him terribly.”
Paul Hennessy (1960) Writes - “Art, I am very sorry to hear of Paul Keister’s passing.
Bick was a unique
individual, a social animal, always planning some gathering or get-together.
He was the son of a ‘Little All-American’ football player who attended
William and Mary College, became a NY Post sports columnist/editor with
access to ALL the sports heroes of the time (Mantle, Dimaggio, Ted Williams,
etc.) some of whom he interviewed AT the Keister’s East Williston home.
Imagine the nuclear teen-age excitement generated by that!!!😂😁
Bick was, indeed, the
life of many parties —frequently held in the historic red barn in his
backyard, which was also the headquarters of our class’s notorious,
irrepressible ‘Spartan Club.’ What a perfect gathering place for our lucky
class of ‘60! 🍺✌️ I’m guessing his iconic barn was the only one in the
Wheatley school district (?) 🤔☘️ certainly the site of more social gatherings than any
place else in our era.
Bicky’s nickname was
‘Handy Man,’ after the song describing the social facilitating that only ‘the
handy man can.’ 😂🤪
I have so many fond
memories of Bick, from visiting the Keister family’s farm with him and
brother Corky Keister (1967), to tooling around—Rock ‘n Roll
at full blast—in what I remember as his white Chevy Impala.
Bicky was a major
personality in our class, someone who greatly contributed to enhancing the
fun we had at Wheatley.
He was an unforgettable
character, a lively, warm and generous friend to all who were blessed to know
him.”
Best, Paul Hennessy
1967 - Art Engoron - A
Few Years Ago - Pretending to be hard at work,
1968 - Sally Felton and
Wendy Woods
Sally painted this
portrait of Wendy when they were 16.
1968 - Sally Felton - Remembered by Wendy Woods (1968)- “Sally was a
dear friend of mine while I attended Wheatley. She was a very talented artist
who opened my appreciation of art by accompanying me to many museums in NYC
and giving me art drawing lessons as well as painting my portrait. She and I
shared many experiences during our time at Wheatley, discussing books,
current events, and the cliques of our peers, who often excluded those not
part of “The In Crowd.” I accompanied her to her horseback riding activities
and the Roslyn School of painting, and we shared our Beatle and rock music
obsessions. We went on double dates with our high school crushes and to the
prom. I visited her at her art college in Philadelphia, and we kept in touch
even when she studied art in Italy.
After marrying the love
of her life in Italy, she moved to Costa Rica, where she became a famous
portrait painter and taught art and art history as a Professor and lecturer.
I lost contact with her after her family moved away, and we both moved on
with our lives. She was low-key at Wheatley, having moved into the school
district in High School, and having been rather shy. She and I were
supportive kindred spirits. We kept each other sane, intellectually
challenged, and creatively engaged. Our sense of humor kept us sane though
our years at Wheatley.”
Sally Felton (1968) - Remembered by
a Non-Wheatley Friend - “Hi Art,
I know very little about Sally Felton’s life prior to our first meeting,
which was probably on or about 1 June 1984. By that time, she had already
been living in Costa Rica for at least 11 years. She spoke fondly of her time
in Italy, but was mostly mum about her earlier days in the US (and I am not
one to pry). She was approximately 34-years-old when we first met. I know the
names of Sally’s parents—-Mark and Susan (née Jeffries) Felton—-but not much
beyond that. My impression (from Sally’s rare comments) is that her father
was stern and demanding. I did, ultimately, meet her mother (more on that
later). I do not recall Sally ever mentioning siblings; however, a
“classmate” alluded to a “younger sister.” My wife, who was much closer to
Sally than I was, may have known something about this, but she passed a year
after Sally (and of the same ailment).
We also never met Sally’s
Costa Rican husband, one Rodrigo Barahona, because they divorced (after 10
years of marriage) in 1983. Their marriage was childless. Sally got the
house, as they say, in the divorce settlement—-a rather nice house in an
older but upscale neighborhood on the north edge of San José. This was the
house that we rented from her, for a brief period during the second half of
1984. The house was available because Sally had hooked up with another guy,
an expat from southmost Texas named Melvin Baker, and she was spending most
of her time at his place (a cacao farm on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica).
She must have been pregnant when we first met, because her daughter, Selva
Baker, was born about 7 months later.
Sally Felton and her
daughter Selva - October 19, 1972
Mel and Sally separated
amicably at some point in the mid-90’s (as far as I know they were never
actually married), and Sally remained single after that. After the
separation, Selva lived mainly with her mother, in San José. Selva is pure
Costa Rican, born and raised there, and has never lived in the US and likely
never will (though she is fluent in English and has visited the US several
times). She was Sally’s only child.
We last saw Sally during
a family vacation in Costa Rica in March/April 2013. At that time, Sally was
living in a house she had purchased (or was renting?) in Santa Ana, a
mid-sized town west of San José. We stayed there with her for a few days, at
the beginning and end of our travels about the country. Selva was then living
in the house in San José that we had once rented, but came out to visit us,
particularly our son Jeff (who also was born in Costa Rica and has known
Selva since he was 4). It was on this occasion that we finally met Sally’s
mother, Susan. Her husband had died (no idea exactly when), leaving her alone
in the US, and she had moved to Costa Rica to be cared for by Sally during
her final years (I realize this begs the question of the ‘younger sister,’
but I haven’t the answer). Susan must have been pushing 90 when we met her.
She could not have expected that she would be predeceased by her daughter,
but that is the way it turned out.
At some point in 2017,
Sally was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, as was my wife later that same year.
This is an especially pernicious cancer because it presents few if any
symptoms until it is too late. Sally passed on 24 July 2018, my wife about a
year afterward. Chemotherapy compromises the immune system of cancer victims,
and frequent visits to medical facilities expose them to infectious microbes,
so cancer itself may not be the ultimate cause of death. Sepsis claimed my
wife, and while I was not present when Sally passed and am not privy to her
death certificate, my recollection is that she had contracted pneumonia while
in hospital. Mercifully, I suppose, Sally’s mom Susan died (in San José) just
a month after her daughter. That must have been an unbelievably difficult
time (both emotionally and logistically) for Selva, though I have never
communicated with her directly about any of this.
Sally was a strong and
independent person, who lived in the present and was always busy with one
project or another. She had little money, and was forever struggling to make
ends meet. She worked as a teacher for quite some time (at the same school
attended by Selva, at least for a while). Her expenses were not extravagant,
but she had a house to maintain (two, later in life), and a funky old Land
Rover that was always breaking down. I tried to help her out, on my frequent
trips to Costa Rica, by renting a room in her house (rather than a hotel
room) at competitive rates paid from whatever grant I had at the time. She
also rented rooms to other individuals. Her house was filled with her own
colorful artwork. I have two of Sally’s original paintings (pastels, I think)
in my living room in St. Louis; both depict horses, probably Sally’s own
(from when she lived on the farm), and were gifted by her to my wife. I am
not surprised that Sally had ‘lost contact’ with folks back on Long Island.
She was living in a different world, and she was fully immersed in her life.
1969 - George Meyer - Wonders in
Wood
George Writes - “Hi Art, Just the other day, I realized that I had
something that might stir some memories. Wood Shop, 1967 or 1968, not sure.
These have sat next to my bed for as long as I can remember. All the best,
George Meyer 69”
From the Archives - Several ‘50s-’60s Classes in 2016 - Help
Still Wanted
Chairs - Linda Erdmann
Brody (1963), Susan Gross (1963), Maida Holzman (1963), Arthur Brody (1962),
???, Nan Bauer-Maglin (1959), Carol Jalonack Blum (1961), Janet Cohen Eder
(1961), Ellen Litwin Fingerman (1964)
Standing - Donna Kenton
(1963), Robert Freiman (1962), Mike Jablon (1961), Bettina (guest of David
Friedman), Jerry Mintz (1961), David Friedman (1962), Tim Jerome (1961), Joe
Iannotti(?), John Kapinos (1962), ???, ???, Margaret Russek (1962), Michael
Carillo (1961)(?), Lauren Jacobs (1963), Debby Kerstein Brosowsky (1961), Liz
Stone (1963), Merry Orling (1961), Gary Krakauer (1963) or Richard “Dickie”
Safft (1961), John Rigrod (1961)
From the Archives - Class of 1966 in 2016- Lots of Help Needed
Faculty (Steve Ehre) - “❤️ I love my Wheatley Newsletter. Just to see the names
is special. Thanks, Art. Steve Ehre”
1961 (Janet Geils Eggers) - ❤️
1961 (Deborah Kerstein Brosowsky) - ❤️
1962 (Carol Keister McCormick) “I appreciate all you do to keep Wheatley grads
connected.”
1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth) - ❤️“I always enjoy reading about my class.”
1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️
1965 (Laurel Osrow) - ❤️
1966 (Claude Levy) - ❤️
1971 (Bruce Starr, formerly known
as “Bruce Schwartz”) - ❤️
1972 (Jo Ann Bregman Miles) - “As always, a big thank you, Art, for all that you do.”
1972 (Jeffrey Kargman) - ❤️
1972 (Sheri Nathan) - ❤️
1973 (Steve Blumberg) - “Great thanks to Art and everyone else who submits their
Wheatley anecdotes. They weave the Wheatley tapestry together. No wonder I’m
hearing rumors that CBS CEO David Ellison wants to add the Wheatley alumni
chronicle to his media portfolio!❤️.”
1973 (James Pangarliotas) - ❤️
1974 (Bob Berta) - “Keith and
Arthur, Thank you for keeping the light burning on all of us
who experienced Wheatley first-hand. It was an exceptional time in our
lives.”
1976 (Susan Kreutzberger Aird) - “Thanks for your dedication to Wheatley and for the
wonderful Newsletters you send out.”
1980 (Todd Cooper) - ❤️
???? (Sally D) - Thank you, Art. With best wishes, Sally D. [[[Sally
Danto?]]]
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.
The Usual Words of Wisdom
Thanks to our fabulous
Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale
yourself with the first 238 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 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 # 240. Please send me your autobiography before
someone else sends me your obituary.
Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967