The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 266

ARTHUR ENGORON April 30, 2026

Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,

Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 266,

The Origins of The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter

Art Engoron (1967) Writes - Several years ago, Mitch Stephens (1967) and a non-Wheatleyite North Carolinian named Neil Offen created a website that Neil describes as follows:

“Writing About Our Generation is a website focused on the continuing adventures of those of us born between World War II and Woodstock. Our stories range from ranking the best Beatles songs to ranking the best inventions of our lifetimes, from a paean to the joys of lunching to complaints about downsizing. And we publish a new story almost every day. To get on our mailing list, or to write for the site, send an email to writingaboutourgeneration@gmail.com”

Hearing about my Wheatley School Alumni Association activities, Neil recently asked me to explain them. I wrote, and earlier this week he published, the following essay:

Why I’m My High School’s Scribe

Written by Arthur Engoron

The Wheatley School—which, despite its highfalutin’ name, is a public school—opened its doors in September 1958 in Old Westbury, Long Island, New York. I graduated in 1967, along with 251 other baby boomers. My four brothers were also “Wheatley Wildcats.” In 1960, the oldest one brought home a copy of the school yearbook, the Aurora.

I was hooked; I perused it endlessly; I wanted to get to know all of those people; I wanted to connect with them.

And to a certain extent, I did. What follows explains why some people call me “The Mayor of Wheatley.”

In 1980 two friends and I organized our original class reunion (losing about $500 when the original venue went bankrupt). I organized a 25th, 30th, 40th and 50th mostly by myself. In or about 1985, a classmate asked me why I was doing this.

I had to think for a few moments, “Why was I doing this?” Why does the hamster run on the wheel in its cage? I was mostly just doing it.

But I came up with three reasons, which I think still hold, and which I will list in no particular order.

I was doing it because being in contact with everyone and throwing parties is fun.

I was doing it because people appreciated it, and I like making people happy.

And I was doing it for “the glory.” I couldn’t redo high school; and my college career was miserable; but I could become a somebody. I could stand out from the crowd. People would know me, respect me, appreciate me, and might possibly envy me. Even after all these years, I still have difficulty defining “the glory,” but I still feel it. And to quote the Gershwin Brothers, “They can’t take that away from me.”

At Wheatley, I was slightly built, academically good-but-not-great, hardly “Most Likely to Succeed,” and maybe deep down inside, I felt that I had something to prove.

Fast forward a few years, and I realized that computers (word-processing and databases) and, later, the Internet, would allow me to expand my horizons to include all the school’s graduates (approximately 10,000 at last count). So, freed from photocopying, moistening stamps and sealing envelopes, I now have a website, WWW.WHEATLEYALUMNI.ORG, and I publish a Substack Newsletter (“The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter”) every week or two (currently, I am working on Issue # 266).

The tools have changed, but the goal of maintaining a connection has remained the same.

Part of the fun is that Wheatley was, and is, a great school; in 2003, Niche rated it “Number One in the Country!” Accordingly, its graduates have had thought-provoking lives and careers, and they contribute noteworthy essays. As I often say, “I’m only as good as what people send me.”

All of this takes enormous time. Estimate how much, and then add a zero or two. So why do I continue to do it?

I’m still making people happy; fan mail (a regular section in the Newsletter) keeps pouring in over the transom. I still enjoy being in contact with people and throwing parties. I edit almost everything that I publish, and I enjoy the challenge of improving writing. And there’s still that ineffable “glory” thing.

Or maybe I’m just a hamster.

Carnegie Hall Concert

Sheli Nan (Hershcopf) (1968) Writes - Dear Wheatleyites - I hope to see as many of you as possible at the June 5th Carnegie Hall concert described below. I am excited that two of my works will be performed. A ticketing link is provided. Note that complimentary tickets for friends, family, and colleagues are also available.

If you would like any, email me for the details. Shelinan.muse@gmail.com

Presented by PARMA Recordings

Ovidiu Marinescu, Cello / Carl Cranmer, Piano

RESURGENCE VOL. 3: New Works for Cello & Piano

Friday, June 5, 2026, 8:00 PM, Weill Recital Hall

RESURGENCE VOL. 3 reunites cellist Ovidiu Marinescu and pianist Carl Cranmer

in a collection of emotionally rich, stylistically diverse works ranging from an

atmospheric homage to Chopin to works shaped by friendship, memory, and the

natural world.

Get Tickets

Tickets start at $30 ($25 + $5 fee)

Student and Senior Discount Tickets Available at the Box Office

Program

Works by James Chenevert, Ferdinando DeSena, Warren Gooch,

Ivar Lunde Jr., Sheli Nan, Pierre Schroeder, and John Spence

I hope to see you soon!

🤗💥🎹💥❣️🎶❣️

Sheli Nan

Composer Performer

Teacher Author

www.SheliNan.com

The American Prize

Graduates

1961 - Gene Razzetti - Gene Writes - “Great to hear from classmates Nancy Kurshan and Tim Jerome. They continue to impress and inspire.”

1966 - Steve Hanft - “Art, I have a question for alums who spent time watching children's TV programs in the 1950s: What device did Andy Devine often ask Froggy to ‘plunk’ on the Saturday morning TV show ‘Andy's Gang?’" (Answer in next issue.)

1967 + 1969/1968 - Arthur Engoron and Christopher “Chris” Srinivasan/Vasan

L-R - Art Engoron (1967) and Chris Srinivasan/Vasan (1969/1968) - Pepolino, May 2022 (submitted by Rosemary Ann Vasan, April 2026)

1974 - A. Dana (“Dane”) Tessler - Deceased

Gregory Cave (1974) Writes (“with permission from Dane’s wife, Elizabeth”) - It’s with great sadness and grief that I share with you the following obituary.

Dane Tessler, 69, passed away on April 7, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. Born on August 28, 1956, in Charleston, South Carolina, Dane lived a life as vibrant as the places he called home. From his early years in Tokyo and New York to his later adventures across Florida, Texas, and Colorado, Dane always chose the scenic route.

Dane’s education took him from St. Mary’s International School in Tokyo, to The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, and to Bard College in Annendale-on-Hudson, where he studied film. These formative years laid the foundation for a life filled with curiosity and diverse pursuits. His professional path was anything but conventional. He began working in textiles with his father, then embarked on a series of ventures that reflected his entrepreneurial spirit and wide-ranging interests. Dane piloted flights around Key West, co-owned a pizza shop in Tampa, and later went digital with multimedia sales. He was an early Internet pioneer, a self-taught website designer, a totally legal mixed CD publisher, and an eBay reseller.

Dane loved flying high and playing music. Let’s never forget his band, Mighty Megabytes, performing live around St. Pete Beach, Florida. His creative outlets included songwriting, HAM radio, photography, woodworking, sailing, road trips, and above all, living in his camper in his “barn.”

Dane owned a lovely piece of property overlooking the beautiful town of La Veta, Colorado, near the Sangre de Cristo (“blood of Christ”) mountains (part of the Southern Rockies), which turn a beautiful deep red color at sunrise or sunset). The property had a giant steel building that Dane called his “barn” and in which he kept two recreational vehicles. I would go out there a few times a year, and I would refer to it as “glamping” (i.e., glamorous camping). I would sleep in the smaller recreational vehicle, and Dane would sleep in the large one. We spent many a good day and night in that beautiful environment.

The Dane we all knew was not someone who kept things bottled up. If something crossed his mind, it was likely to be said soon after. Unfiltered humor was simply how he connected with people, whether it was a perfectly timed one-liner or a boundary-pushing joke. He unsubscribed from censorship and believed that levity was not optional, reminding all of us, even in difficult moments, to toss something out there to smile about, even if (or especially if) it raises eyebrows.

Dane was never one to follow a well-worn path. He made his own way, usually at his own pace, guided by his own internal compass. He never asked much of anyone, just that if you were willing, you could come along for the ride. Whether it was a spontaneous road trip or a photo mission, a story about his beautiful grandson, a shared curiosity, or a wandering conversation that would go off track, being with him meant stepping into (or being held captive in) Dane’s World for a while. And if you did, you knew exactly why he was unforgettable.

He leaves behind countless wonderful moments, big and small, that will keep showing up in our lives. May Dane’s memory bring comfort, and maybe even some laughter, to all who knew him.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Elizabeth Tredwell Tessler; his son Joseph Robert Tessler and daughter-in-law Sophia Vipul Shah; his daughter Caroline Tessler Pinkowitz and son-in-law Andrew Jacob Pinkowitz; his cherished grandson Eli Steven Pinkowitz; and his sister Leigh B Tessler. He was predeceased by his parents Ramon Tessler and Ricki Tessler as well as his parents-in-law A. Robert Tredwell and Helen Marsh Tredwell.

A Celebration of Life is planned for May, 2026

Critics Corner

Art Engoron (1967) Writes - I found the following essay on the Quora Website. As with everything I publish that I haven’t written myself, I don’t vouch for its accuracy. In the prior two issues (## 264, 265), I reviewed and discussed the current Broadway production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.”