The Wheatley
School Alumni Association Newsletter # 275
This
IS a genuine Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter.
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Dear Wheatley
Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,
Welcome to the Wheatley
School Alumni Association Newsletter # 275,
Class of 1966
60th-Year Reunion
The Class of 1966
60th-Year Reunion will be held in New York City on Saturday, 10/17/26, at the
home of Susan Bryant and classmate Larry Fox. Official invitations will be
emailed in early August. If you are a member of the Class and you are
interested in attending and you still have not responded, please contact
Diana Noble Rubinger at DIANA4425@GMAIL.COM
or Suzanne Stone at MSHB2000@AOL.COM.
Graduates
1958 - Steve Nelson - “Seeing Whitey Ford’s picture in Issue # 268 of the
Wheatley Alumni Newsletter reminded me of a small mystery that I’m hoping one
of you can solve. Whitey, of course, was a star pitcher with the Yankees,
winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1950 before serving in the Korean War
for two years and returning to the Yankees in 1953. That spring I was in 7th
grade at the Willets School and played for the Buffaloes in the Roslyn Little
League. Art Rollini ’59 was on the team too.
One Saturday morning in
May, all of the Roslyn Little League teams were summoned to be at Roslyn High
School in uniform, where a film was being made about Little League starring
Whitey Ford! He was a big hero of mine, both of us being left-handed throwers
and on the shorter side, although I wasn’t a pitcher. I remember seeing him
there, but I was just one of a couple hundred kids playing ball in the
background.
I never heard anything
more about the film, and I’ve struck out trying to find anything about it
online. Who knows, maybe it was never completed. Whitey passed away in 2020.
I’m hoping some ex-Little Leaguer from Wheatley who played Little League at
the time knows something which can solve the mystery of the missing movie.
1964 - Walter R. Wendel - Now known
as “Wendel R. Wendel”.
Sue Skarka Miller (1964) Writes - “I’m quite certain that the young man in the North Side
photo is Walter Wendel. He later changed his name to “Wendel Wendel” and
referred to himself as ‘Wendel Squared.’ I believe that he went on to build
geodesic domes.”
AI Writes - “Wendel R. Wendel is a key innovator in geodesic dome and space-frame
engineering.”
1964 - Jesse Samberg - Storyteller
1967 and 1968 - Helene Feiner and
Randy Danto
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L-R - Randy
Danto (1968) and Helene Feiner (1967) - Bend, Oregon
1967 - Mitch Stephens and Art
Engoron
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L-R - Art
Engoron and Mitch Stephens, Park Side Restaurant, Corona, Queens, NY, July 8,
2026
1970 - Gregory Fitzpatrick - The photo in your most recent newsletter of legendary
stock car race driver Richard Petty and Maya Sabot
Paveza (1988) reminded me of the bicycle trip I took with my
wife in 2023 to Watkins Glen, New York, where we saw the bricks along the
sidewalk of all of the famous racers that had competed there.
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Cheers from
Colorado
1973 - Kenneth Moskowitz and Peter
Simel
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Far left - Ken
Moskowitz; Far right - Peter Simel (both 1973)
Kenny Writes - “Your brothers (Danny and Gerry Engoron) and Peter
Simel (“Palm Beach Pete”) and I (all 1973) all played basketball as the
“Bengyfield Bombers. A photograph of Peter is hanging in the Wheatley
Cafeteria as one of the most famous
Graduates. He is my padel partner in south Florida……small world out there.
1974 - Carol Leifer - A Dream Come
True
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Carol Leifer and
Mel Brooks - Orso Restaurant, NYC 2002
MEL BROOKS TURNS 100!
Meeting Mel… never in my
wildest!
Carol Writes - “Lori and
I at dinner with the greatest couple ever – Amy Yasbeck & the comedy
legend, John Ritter.
I see Mel at the back of
the restaurant - at the time working on “The Producers” on Broadway. I
fangirl out & tell Amy and John how my father played “The 2000 year-old
Man” record so much when I was a kid  that I could lip sync it. And what an
influence his original, smart and hilarious comedy had been on me.
Well, John gets up & brings
Mel Brooks back to our table! I was dying. And Mel was everything I dreamed
he would be, such a sweetie. And I got to tell him how much I loved him -
words can barely express.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEL! You
are everything to comedy and everything to me!
And thanks, John Ritter,
for making this girl’s dream come true. You are missed.”
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L-R - Susan
Kolinsky, Carol Leifer
1975 - Steve Witkoff - Special
Envoy
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2001 - Scott Reich -
Baseball Book Author
Scott Writes - “Dear
Art, I’m proud to share that my new book, One Day in September: Baseball, Brotherhood, and
the Birth of the All-Star Game, came out July 7 and is available
for order. The book uncovers the remarkable true story of how a forgotten
1917 charity baseball game—featuring Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and
other legends—gave rise to one of America’s most enduring sports traditions.
It’s a story about baseball, but even more about friendship, generosity, and
the moments that bring people together. Readers can buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or their local
bookstore. Some advance praise is below:
“Scott Reich’s One Day in
September is the best baseball book, the best history book, the
best book period that I have read in a long while. Like Lawrence Ritter’s The Glory
of Their Times, it captures how baseball became ‘king’ in its
early days. Like David Halberstam’s Summer of ‘49, it illuminates an epic
moment in American life through the lens of sport. And like Roger Kahn’s The Boys of
Summer, it evokes nostalgia not for sentimentality’s sake, but as
a reminder of the importance of community, service, and the civic virtues
necessary to sustain both. Readers will enjoy—treasure—every chapter. Scott
Reich joins an elite group of writers exploring the intersection of American
sport, culture, and history.”
— David Eisenhower, bestselling author of Eisenhower at War:
1943-1945
“As a long-ago Boston TV sportscaster, I’ve known of New England’s
first true chronicler of baseball—Tim Murnane—for decades. But until Scott
Reich’s extraordinary telling of the humanity that coalesced around his
family after his tragic passing, I had never heard of the story of the
Murnane All-Star game. This book…is a true tapestry of baseball and American
history.”
— Keith Olbermann, Award-winning journalist and broadcaster
“Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Reich uncovers a
forgotten chapter of baseball history that feels both surprising and
essential. By the final page, you’ll wonder how this remarkable story
remained untold for so long.”
— Darren Rovell, Emmy Award-winning sports business reporter, ESPN &
CNBC
“As someone who spent my career in major-league clubhouses and
played in many All-Star Games, I can tell you there’s nothing like stepping
onto that field. In One
Day in September, Scott Reich captures the pride, history, and
emotion that have made the All-Star Game such a lasting part of baseball’s
story.”
— Alex
(“A-Rod”) Rodriguez, former Major League Baseball all-star
“Scott Reich’s One Day in
September is a lovely, elegiac book…Lavishly illustrated,
carefully researched, and affectionately told, it brings to life not only a
game, but America and the game of baseball at a crossroads.”
— Kevin Baker, author, The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a
New City.
I also host the Curveball
podcast, where I explore life’s unexpected turns with authors, athletes,
entrepreneurs, and other remarkable guests, examining how adversity,
setbacks, and unforeseen challenges can become sources of resilience,
purpose, and growth. You can listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more of my work on my website."
Best, Scott Reich, Wheatley Class
of 2001
Fan Mail
1960 (Joanne Festa) - “Thank you, Art, for sharing the Wheatley news.” ❤️
1961 (Deborah Kerstein Brosowsky) -
“I’m excited to see some 1980s
& 1990s graduates checking in on this great Newsletter. Thanks for
sharing.”
1962 (William “Bill” Cerillo) - “Thanks again, Art, for the work you and Keith do in
keeping the Wheatley spirit alive!”
1963 (Marcia Friedman Mayer) - ❤️
1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️
1964 (Susan Skarka Miller) - “I love the Newsletter.”
1965 (Barry Gordon) - “I appreciate all you have done through your unending
support of your fellow Wheatley alumni.”
1965 (Sharon Neely Halm) - “As always, a great read, with so many memories.” ❤️
1966 (Sylvia Kay) - “Thank you for all the work you do on the Alumni
publications.”
1968 (Joane Filler-Varty) - “Thanks for your dedication to our Newsletters.”
1968 (Lois Hegyi Goldstein) - ❤️
1968 (Leslie Wolowitz) - “I look forward to reading the notes. Keep up the good
work.”
1970 (Gregory Fitzpatrick) - “Thanks for all you do with the Newsletter.”
1977 (Laura Slaski) - ❤️
1980 (Lawrence Michael Weiss) - “Hi ART: I love the Newsletter and all you do for the
Wheatley community. Everyone knows me as “Michael.” Legally my name is
“Lawrence Michael Weiss.” I have used “L Michael Weiss” professionally.
Again, thanks for the Newsletter.”
1988 (Maya J. Sabot Paveza) - ❤️
1996 (Joshua Effron) - ❤️
1996 (James Lohmann) - ❤️
2001 (Scott Reich) - “Thanks for all you do.”
The Usual Words of
Wisdom
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.
Thanks to our fabulous
Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale
yourself with the first 273 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
Closing
That’s it for The Wheatley School
Alumni Association Newsletter # 275. Please send me your autobiography before
someone else sends me your obituary.
Arthur Fredericks (“Art”) Engoron,
Class of 1967
