Arthur Engoron
December 6, 2025

Welcome to The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 245.

Current Events

Special Olympics Names The Wheatley School A ‘National Banner Unified Champion School

The Wheatley School in Old Westbury has been recognized as a ‘National Banner Unified Champion School’ by Special Olympics North America, a distinction that represents the highest level of achievement for Unified Champion Schools nationwide, school officials announced.

The honor celebrates The Wheatley School’s commitment to an inclusive school community. Only a select group of schools across the country earn this recognition each year by meeting standards of excellence in areas such as Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and schoolwide engagement, according to school leaders.

“We are honored that The Wheatley School has been recognized as a National Banner Unified Champion School,” Dr. Danielle Gately, Superintendent of Schools, said in a statement. “This recognition reflects the spirit of inclusion, leadership and teamwork that our students, staff, and community embrace every day.”

As a Unified Champion School, Wheatley offers opportunities for students with and without disabilities to participate together on sports teams, in physical education, and through leadership activities that promote understanding and respect throughout the school community.

With this recognition, Wheatley joins 45 schools in the state that have achieved banner status. The award not only honors past accomplishments but also re quires schools to demonstrate long-term sustainability of their inclusive practices, ensuring that the legacy of inclusion will continue for years to come, school officials said.”

From page 9 of the Dec. 2025/Jan. 2026 issue of Able News.

Administration

Donna Kenton (1963) points out that the photograph of the “farewell” dinner for Mr. Wathey published in the 1965 Wheatley yearbook and re-published in Newsletters ## 243 and 244 could have been held to celebrate his leaving The North Side School for The Wheatley School. That occured four years earlier, in 1961; but a classic photo showing all the East Williston School District big shots and their wives published in the 1965 Wheatley yearbook could easily have been taken several years before then. Sharp observers may have noticed that the two photos are SLIGHTLY different (compare Joan Wathey in each of them).

Faculty

Adam Goldstein (1980) Writes - “‘RIP, Mr. Cautela.’ I didn’t know that he passed away four years ago. A good man. Treated students well. I don’t remember anyone who did not like him. I’m glad that he made it to 90. If I had known he was a Yankees fan, I would have liked him even more!”

Clare Lowell - Found on Facebook

Claudia Moyne passed away on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at the age of 88. Her memorial service will be held on December 13^th at Saint Luke’s Church in Sea Cliff (the incorporated village in which she lived, and of which she was the first female mayor), New York at 11:00 AM, with a reception to follow. She taught history and social studies at Wheatley from 1988 to 2010, she was chair of the History Department, and she was active in School-Within-a-School.

Graduates

Correction

Bob Forte, husband of Jill Simon Forte (1967), graduated in 1965, not 1975, as erroneously reported in Newsletter # 144. I loathe unforced errors, especially my own.

1968 - Laurence (“Laurie”) Schiller - “That’s me refereeing fencing this past season at Northwestern University.”

1975 - Richard Tanner - “Hi Art - The Class of 1975’s reunion in October was one of the most joyous and rewarding experiences I’ve had in a long time. I was unprepared for such a ‘love-fest’ (and I have been horribly remiss about communicating this with my classmates since -- but I will).

I am delighted to announce that my short film will be screening at yet another film festival, this one in San Francisco, at the Balboa Theater on Sunday, 12/7, at 12:30 pm.

If any of you are in the bay area and would like to come, I’d love to see you there!

From the Archives - Several ‘50s-’60s Classes in 2016 - The Final Ambiguity Is Resolved; Two Wildcats Still MIA

L-R - Floor - Marcia Friedman Mayer (1963), Leslie Schiller Fisher (1963), Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963), Nancy Kurshan (1961), Jeanne Messing (1961), Deborah Crane (formerly “Krane”) (1963), Kathy Chaikin (1963), Leonard (“Lenny”) Symons (1961)

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 (1960), Ellen Litwin Fingerman (1963)

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 (1962), John Kapinos (1962), ???, Matthew Sanzone (1959), Margaret Russek (1962), Michael Carillo (1961), Lauren Jacobs (1963), Debby Kerstein Brosowsky (1961), Liz Stone (1963), Merry Orling (1961), Gary Krakauer (1963), John Rigrod (1961)

From the Archives - Class of 1966 in 2016- Missing Only Two

L-R - Sitting - Gretchen Gersh, Adrienne Lagin, Deborah Davis, Marta Pesa, Leslie Goldstein Ossim, Karen Wattel Arenson, Jane Rosengarten, Dan Willard, Peter Siegel

Standing - ???, Robert Stange, Marc Swickle, Ricky Jalonack, Jeff Knetzer, Harold Whack, Linda Rignel, Jay Keillor, Alison Kent Bermant, Frank Lamitola, Andrea Ibanez, Robert Sarnoff, Susan Berger Jones, Kathy Walsh, Glen Greenbaum, Preston Winters, ???

From the Archives - Class of 1970 in 2016- One Addition, One Correction - But Help Still Needed

L-R - Floor - Joanne Horowitz, Dana Seman, Susan Weiss, Stacey Moritz, Andrea Chock Carlin

Chairs - Doug Terris, Kenny Ruby, John R. Weiss, Jane Madison, Mindy Spier Cohen, Vicki Unger, Amy Jacoby Budish, Robin Halpern

Standing - Bob Bush, Jimmy Nordlinger, Walter McKenna, ???, Drew Tressler, Ken Levien, Karen Hurvitz, Arlene Krauss-Mandell, Robert Abramowitz, Laverne Manning, Jane Roeder, ???, Janet Goldberg Hornbecker, Greg Fitzpatrick(?), Nancy Reuben, George Nierenberg

The Wildcat Dog Gallery

Cookie - Amy Gruskin Gerstein’s (1966) one-year-old, 13 pounds-of-fun shipoo mix.

Nuala - George Meyer (1969) Writes - “This is a fun idea. Here is a photograph of my dog, Nuala, in a grocery store in Lecce Italy, in 2017. She is 13 now and going strong! And she is a great traveler. We have taken her to Europe many times. She spends every April in Ireland.”

Phoebe - Robin Halpern’s (1970) eight pound poodle-mix rescue. “I LOVE your idea of including pets!!! Seeing photographs of alumni with their pets would be fun.”

Sasha - Valerie Gomes’s (1978) three-year-old, six pound maltipoo. “I couldn’t resist the request for doggie photos.”

Kirby - Richard Weissman’s (1972) six-pound rescue Chihuahua. Rich says, “I think that he’s the cutest dog in the world.”

1970 - Lyn Goldsmith - “Yes!! You definitely got my attention with the dogs.”

The East Williston School District on Facebook

Fan Mail

1978 (Val Gomes) - “Thanks for the Newsletters. Happy Holidays, everyone.”

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 244 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 style 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 # 245. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.