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The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 263San Francisco Bay Area Reunion; Palm Springs, CA Reunion; Jack "Cat" Davis; Steve Nelson; Peter Calderon; John Silver; Mitch and Artie; Lori Wallach; George Nierenberg; Andy and Steve Krakauer
Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons, Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 263 San Francisco Bay Area ReunionLarry Rosenthal (1965) Writes - “A reminder that The Fifth Annual(?) Unofficial San Francisco Bay Area Wheatley Reunion Potluck—TFA(?)USFBAWRP-- will be held on Sunday June 7, 2026, noon - 4pm, in my Berkeley back yard. Rich Weissman (‘62) is 99% sure he’ll be there and Mark Luria (’61) and Alice Wilkens (’66) are hoping to make it as well. Previous confirms are Peter Siegel (’66), my brother Steve Roselaren (’67), and Barry (’65) and Aldene Gordon. Interested Wildcats, please email me at larros99@gmail.com. Out-of-towners welcome!” Rich Weissman’s Palm Springs ShindigOur hosts for the weekend:
L-R - J. D. Horn and Rich Weissman (1972, graduated 1971)
L-R - Wendy Zacharkow, Patrice Maller, Richard Tanner (all 1975)
L-R - Wendy Zacharkow and Wendy Shapiro (both 1975) [Editor’s Note - Subsequent issues will include many more photos of the great event] Sports - Jack “Cat” Davis to the RescueBruce Artim (1971) Writes - As a new baseball season unfolds, now seems like a good time to share a story which is high among my favorite memories of the Wheatley teams I played on that were coached by Jack “Cat” Davis. Opening Day 1971: Wheatley at Locust Valley Prospects seemed bright for the Wheatley nine that day. In the top half of the first inning, after four batters, we had a 4-0 lead. At that point, I may not have been the only Wildcat briefly to entertain the notion that, This Might Be Our Year! Optimism naturally runs high at the outset of a new baseball season. The acclaimed Sportwriter Thomas Boswell described this vibe in his 1984 book, “Why Time Begins on Opening Day.” This top-of-the-first, start-of-the-season 4-0 lead, if truth be told, was achieved in a somewhat tainted fashion: A very hard hit, bases-loaded, one-hopper ground ball somehow went untouched between their shortstop’s legs. Whatever grass would grow later that Spring had not yet sprung, so the ball rolled along the mostly dirt outfield and, as I recall, may have crossed over into a women’s lacrosse game and a track meet before coming to rest. Regardless, 4-0, no outs, top of the first, what could go wrong? Alas, Wheatley scored no more that day. Alack, the rules of baseball allow the other team to bat. Throughout the late afternoon and well into the early evening, the Locust Valley team (The Locusts?) batted and then batted some more. These were the days when boys were men and there was no such thing as a game-shortening “10-run Mercy Rule.” You had to take a full licking. Runs scored every which way possible: legitimate hard hits, errors (throwing, fielding, and mental), sacrifice flies, steals, wild pitches, passed balls, bunts, balks and walks. When it was over the tally was 25-4. By any measure, this was a crushing loss, as three touchdown margins are not common in baseball. Comes now the aforementioned Cat Davis. One mark of a great coach is the ability to rally the team after a loss, even and perhaps especially after a blow-out. Yet, as the bus pulled out of the parking lot, our coach – normally gregarious – sat silently in his seat. Seemingly, The Cat got his tongue … tied. The mood on the bus, as you might expect, was subdued. I think I remember Jonathan Sporn, our good-field, good-bat second baseman, quietly talking about calculus homework with Larry Schiller, owner of a tricky roundhouse curveball. They were both math wiz’s way before STEM came into fashion. Schiller was able to calculate in his head a batting average with uncanny accuracy shortly after a hitter reached base or returned to the bench – a feat of increasing difficulty when the number of at bats and hits grew during the season. I was sitting in the middle of the bus. I believe Burt Dezendorf was sitting in front of me and David Byer was sitting in the seat behind. We were on the driver’s side, stretched out with our backs to the windows and our spikes toward the aisle. We could easily see The Cat sitting alone in the front seat across from the driver. He was no doubt thinking about what to say to us after the 25 to 4 trouncing. Although the ride back from Locust Valley was not short, it would not have been long enough for him to review and comment upon all or even most of the day’s miscues. A post-game speech along the lines of “let’s learn from this and try not to make the same mistakes/it’s a long season and tomorrow’s another game” seemed probable, given Cat Davis’s generally positive coaching philosophy and outlook on life. The Cat’s style was more likely to involve an encouraging word and a pat on the back than a dressing down in front of teammates or running extra sprints. Several minutes into the long ride home The Cat finally got out of his seat and slowly walked toward the back of the bus. He made no eye contact with any of us as he paced seemingly lost in thought, apparently still struggling over what message to give to our dispirited team. Suddenly he literally turned on his heel and pivoted back toward the front of the bus. Simultaneously, he raised a hand in the air with a pointed index finger and a grin on his face. The Cat – looking quite pleased with himself for what he was about to say – announced to a now quiet team (and this, as best I recall, is a direct quote): ‘I’ve got it! We’ll tell everyone the score was 5 to 4 and the 2 is a misprint.’ It took us – and may take you – a few moments to appreciate the wit of The Cat’s quip. In a stroke of brilliance, he proposed a way, however dubious, to disavow 20 runs by transforming an actual overwhelming rout into a fictitious close game. Maybe you had to have been there on the bus and suffered through the earlier on-field drubbing, but as we grasped the preposterousness of what The Cat said, tongue totally in cheek, laughter spread throughout the team. As he walked by me returning to his seat in the front of the bus, I could tell by his smile that The Cat knew from the team’s enthusiastic reaction he had cracked an excellent joke along with conveying in a few words a lot about keeping defeats in perspective and the benefits of moving forward in good spirits and humor. As it turned out, 1971 was not a championship year for the Wildcat baseball squad. Yet I suspect, as with other Wheatley teams coached by Jack Davis, we led the league in fun. More than once, as I watched my son play in too often joyless high school and travel team baseball games with often too serious, confidence-shaking coaches, some of whom seemed to frown upon their players laughing and smiling, I wished The Cat was his coach. The Cat’s facetious yet soothing attempt at revisionist history, ‘We’ll tell everyone the score was 5 to 4 and the 2 is a misprint,’ made me laugh then and still makes me smile 55 years later.” Graduates1958 - Steve Nelson - “My talk on how electricity is affecting human evolution (see Issue #261) is now on YouTube here. A new species of human is emerging in The Electric Age. If you assume you’re a member of the species Homo sapiens, you might be in for a surprise. If you want to learn more, my book on which the talk is based, Fire in a Wire, is available on Amazon here . 1961 - Peter
Calderon - Peter writes - “Art, I’m in post-production after
incorporating the most recent events in this saga: Maria Corina Machado
winning Nobel Peace Prize and Trump kidnapping Maduro.
1965 - Jonathan Silver - Deceased - Details to follow 1967 - Art Engoron and Mitchell Stephens
L-R: Art Engoron + Mitch Stephens (both 1967) - Midtown Manhattan - April 1, 2026 1968 - Hilary (“Lori”) Wallach Marshack Lori Writes - “Classmates and friends - Approximately six months ago, I was diagnosed with Adhesive Arachnoiditis. It is a rare condition, and I have been unable to find any tested, proven treatments. It is reported to be untreatable, incurable, and progressive. It is also quite painful. I have investigated every avenue of information of which I am aware, and I have seen specialists in pain management, neurology, neurosurgery, and holistic medicine. No dice. Acupuncture and physical therapy have been suggested, and I will look into those routes. Stem cell therapy has also been suggested, but there is no evidence that it will help. So I am reaching out to
our community to see if anyone knows anything about this condition. If you
do, I would greatly appreciate referrals, information, etc. If not , and you
just want to know more about AA out of curiosity, maybe you will come up with
something I haven’t followed up.. 1970 – George T. Nierenberg – Moviemaker Turner Classic Movies recently presented a special showcase of films newly added to the National Film Registry — including Say Amen, Somebody – The Good News Musical, directed by George T. Nierenberg. Curated by the Library of Congress, the National Film Registry honors films that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, ensuring their preservation for future generations. This distinction places Say Amen, Somebody among a select group of works that reflect the richness and diversity of American cinema. The film aired on March 19 at 10 PM as part of this special programming event.
Also from George T. Nierenberg Following this recognition, Nierenberg’s work continues to reflect a lifelong commitment to capturing the human experience through film. For the past seven years, he has been working on a new documentary, OUT OF BREATH. The film grew out of his own experience living with sleep apnea—and from witnessing how profoundly it affects not just individuals, but entire families. Like so many others, he never realized he was one of over a billion people living with one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in the world. In the same spirit that defined Say Amen, Somebody, OUT OF BREATH gives voice to people whose stories are often overlooked—using film not just to document, but to create awareness, shift understanding, and ultimately help save lives. 🎬 Interested in the project or have
questions? Note - Both links require registratioon
1970 - In Salisbury (Now Eisenhower) Park on an Important Day
Steve Krakauer (1972) Writes - “1964 Willets Road Graduation @ Salisbury Park. I believe the principal was Mr. Reuben.” Fan Mail1960 (Joanne Festa) - “I enjoy the Wheatley Newsletter, Art. Thanks.” 1962 (Karen Strumpfler Tucker) - ❤️ 1963 (Joanne Festa) - ❤️ 1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️ 1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth) - ❤️ 1965 (Sharon Neely Halm) - ❤️ 1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - ❤️ 1972 (Michele Cashin Krumholz) - ❤️ 1972 (Jeffrey Kargman) - ❤️ 1973 (Timothy Clarke) - “Hi Art, Thanks for keeping us all updated on all things Wheatley.” ❤️ 1974 (David Caine) - ❤️ 1975 (Mark Lubin) - “Thanks for keeping the Newsletters going and for everything else you do to keep the Wheatley community together and strong.” 1980 (Todd Cooper) - ❤️ ???? (Alejandra Ruiz) - ❤️ The Usual Words of WisdomAll 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. Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 255 Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters (and much other Wheatley data and arcana) at our website: 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 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, performed, and/or studied there. Art Engoron, Class of 1967 ClosingThat’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 263. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.
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Arthur Friedrichs Engoron, Class of 1967 WheatleyAlumni@aol.com ArtEngoron@gmail.com www.wheatleyalumni.org +1 (646) 872-4833 |