The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 286

Class of 1996 Reunion, Linda Caterino, Jill Simon Forte, Joanna Faber, Roger Gimbel, Doc Wills, Keith Aufhauser, Alfred Culliford, Mary Lee Holley and Erik Calonius, Michael Garin, Valerie Gomes

 

Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,

Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 286.

The Kent Sidon Dispute

The previous Newsletter (# 285) quotes a 1967 graduate as saying that he heard (from whom he can no longer remember) that Kent Sidon, of the Guitar Workshop in Roslyn, died of a drug overdose. This Newsletter quotes a 1978 graduate as saying that Kent’s wife told her that Kent, who was a chain smoker, died of lung cancer.

Class of 1996 Reunion Early Next Year

Joanna Holzman (1996) Writes - Wheatley Class of 1996: Save the date for our 30-ish reunion! Saturday, March 6th, 2027, details TBD. Spread the word! Stay informed by filling out our reunion planning form here: Class of 1996 Reunion Form

Judy Collins Concert at Wheatley

Linda Caterino (1967) Writes - “Dear Arthur,

I, too, attended the Wheatley “Hootenanny.” It was actually a small group of students at the Friday evening recreation program held at the gym. Judy Collins wasn’t famous yet; she had just done one Noxzema commercial, but I loved her!!

Since then, I’ve managed to see her at various stages of my life. It’s no wonder, as she’s done almost 3,000 concerts.

The most recent time was in November, 2026, at the Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, AZ. I was able to speak with her after the show, and I asked about the Wheatley performance, but she didn’t remember it. She is 87 years old now! (She did remember the Noxzema commercial.)

Her AZ performance was great; she was a little off at first, but then everything kicked in. She told amusing stories in between songs, and she totally had the audience enthralled and loving every minute of the show. She described some of her life; very interesting, but sometimes very difficult. She spoke of her alcohol addiction and the loss of her only son (suicide), as well as the more recent loss of her husband. But she’s still performing, and we get to hear that beautiful, crystal-clear soprano voice.

L-R - Linda Caterino (1967) and Judy Collins

Jill Simon Forte (1967) Writes - “Hey Arthur , I had NO idea that Judy Collins played at Wheatley! Bob and I became big fans of her in later years. And I certainly liked seeing my granddaughter Hailey and her husband in the latest edition of the Newsletter. We are very proud of the woman she has become!”

Joanna Faber (1978) Writes - Hey Art, It was fascinating to learn that Judy Collins played a concert at Wheatley. I spent so many hours listening to her records; her songs soaked into my very being. And to see the name Kent Sidon, who I had the honor to know at the wonderful Guitar Workshop back in the 1970s. My understanding from talking to Weslea Sidon (who taught me guitar and also was Kent’s wife) at the time of Kent’s death, was that he died of lung cancer. He was a lovely, talented and gentle man. He and Weslea both smoked like chimneys. You would hardly ever see them without a lit cigarette stuck between the strings by the tuning pegs of their guitar. To my knowledge, there was no drug use or overdose involved, so I was a little upset to read that bit of gossip.”

Wildcat Publication

Gail Gimbel (1973) Writes - My brother Roger’s Gimbel’s (1969) latest book is now live and available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HLTBY3ZZ. All proceeds benefit the Foundation for Graphic Communication Education via our parents, The Herman L. Gimbel and Audrey M. Gimbel Memorial fund.

Art Engoron (1967) Writes - In “Reading the Flags: Boats, Bands, and a Life of Adventure,” Roger Gimbel delivers on all three promises. Many of the adventures he recounts in thrilling detail arise out of, or in, boats and bands. We move from teenage hijinks to serious mischief to success in business to self-realization. Along the way, we are treated to common sense, sometimes a complete lack of it, practical advice, life lessons, colorful characters, colorful language, amazing escapades of derring-do, narrow escapes from law enforcement, and a plethora of bad guys who never quite get the upper hand. Roger forewarns us that his stories are not in chronological order; and I would add, in the same way that memory is not.

What’s best about the book is the humor. Every few pages had me laughing out loud. Some of the stories sound like adolescent fantasies, but they all ring true. Some of the people are as exotic as the locales (which ring the globe). Roger has a way with words, and the similes and metaphors are spot-on (he obviously graduated from a terrific high school). A music critic for the old Village Voice once wrote that the mark of a great Rock & Roll band is that watching it perform, you feel envy. We can all envy Roger’s adventurous life, his fluid writing, his waterborne exploits, his honest introspection, and the wisdom he has gained.

Faculty: Music Master Dr. Godfrey Wills

Joan Edelstein (1968) Writes - “I guess I was absent the day that photograph of the choir was taken. Doctor Wills and my being in choir played a huge part in my Wheatley life. I am grateful for it. And I am happy to see a tribute to him. He was the best!”

Alan Peterson (1975) Writes - “Doc Wills inspired me to pursue both music and theater after graduation. In the 1973-1974 school year, he taught a special one-off morning class in Music Theory, in addition to his afternoon choral duties. That year, he and faculty member John Pagliaro played in a Spike Jones tribute comedy band a few of us organized for The Varsity Revue.

Doc’s recommendations for casting me in two spring musicals gave me confidence for stagework -- in fact, he cast numerous folks who have since gone on to fame and fortune (hello Rich Tanner, 1975!). And toward the end of my time at Wheatley, Doc submitted my name for the Eve Jerome Music and Citizenship award and allowed me to conduct the chorus at Commencement ‘75.

Then there was that vaudevillian sense of comedy he was a master at.

I stayed in touch throughout my first two years of college, before studies really began heating up, repeatedly thanking him for what an influence he was.

Wheatley had the greatest teachers, always. Doc Wills really stood out.

Alan Peterson, ‘75

Williamsburg, VA”

Valerie Gomes (1978) Writes - “Hi Art, Seeing old photos of Doc Wills was great. He was a terrific music teacher. I have fond memories of him and his class; he was a lot of fun.”

Graduates

1963 - Keith Aufhauser - “I last saw Dr. Alfred Culliford (1961) at one of Art Engoron’s (1967) Wheatley School Alumni Association New York City Luncheons. It warmed my soul to perceive once more his youthful smile, wit, humor, and natural reserve and modesty. I shall not look upon his like again.”

1964 - Michael Garin - Celebrating His Engagement to Torunn

This photo was taken at their 1968 engagement party. They got married later that year.

1965 - Erik Calonius - “Hi Mary Lee Holley Cerillo (1963), This is Erik Calonius (1965). You might remember me. In about 1953, when I was six years old, I moved in to the house next to yours on Ridge Road in East Williston. I still have my first impression of you: flinty blue eyes with a steely gaze, freckles, thin lips drawn back in disdain. You were a tomboy, first class, and you didn’t like that some boy with a beanie was moving onto your turf.

You first explained that the pear tree on the property border was half yours. If I wanted to climb it, I was limited to the branches on my side, and there weren’t many. Then you wandered over to the crab apple tree in your backyard and stripped off a handful of hard yellow crab apples and began to fling them at me. That hurt. Anyhow, so began our tense relationship.

I did learn to climb the pear tree with my share of the branches. And I was even accepted into your ‘club,’ which required me to stand at the end of a branch up in a tree in your backyard and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. And the good news: I think I finally passed muster.

I remember your dear father well, and I knew that he kept armfuls of jazz records down in the basement, but I didn’t know that he was a Beatles fan. And this answers a question I’ve pondered over the years: Why did my father, who was strictly a classical music devotee, take my sister and me to see the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965? Now, I think it was because your father must have talked them up so much that my father forked out a grand total of $15 for three tickets. Let me add that I also remember your beautiful mother, Sunny, with such love. She was from the South, and she taught me ‘Dixie,’ so that I would stride through our property singing it with all my heart.

Speaking of the Beatles, in 1972, just seven years after my Wheatley graduation, I met John Lennon. I was a student at Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, and I was sent to cover a trial in the city. I was in the front row of the smallish and mostly empty courtroom, and when I looked back a few rows I saw Lennon and Abbie Hoffman. I knew Abbie from other business, and so I stopped by to say hi and I shook Lennon’s hand. Later, when the trial ended for the day, I was outside and took this photograph of him.”

A photo of John Lennon that Eric Calonius (1965) took in 1972:

1975 - Board of Governors - October 7, 2026

1978 - Valerie Gomes - “I had a trip down Memory Lane last week. An old friend from Wheatley and East Williston was visiting from out of town. She picked me up at the Mineola train station, and we drove through East Williston, visiting North Side and our old houses on Latham Lane and Downing Street. I walked through my old house, thanks to the very kind and generous current owner. Gratefully, renovations were minimal.

Then we drove to Wheatley. We walked around the grounds reminiscing about some old teachers and peaking into our old classrooms. We thought perhaps we could go inside. My how things have changed!!! A security guard immediately came to the door and asked us what we wanted. I guess we were lucky we weren’t arrested for trespassing. We said we were Wheatley graduates from the 1970s and just wanted to visit our old school. We understood when he said this wasn’t possible, and we left soon after. I had hoped we could walk around inside, but understandably and unfortunately, those days are over.

We then drove to Willets Road; the whole surrounding neighborhood has changed: Mega Mansions are everywhere!!

Continuing to Old Roslyn, we reminisced about My Father’s Place and the various shops we used to visit. The building that was the Jolly Fisherman restaurant is now abandoned and empty. We then tried to find parking at the Roslyn Duck Pond, which is now officially named “Gerry Park,” but that was not possible, and we ended up grabbing dinner in a deli nearby. The watermill is also dried up, and no longer functions, but it was nice to see that for the most part old Roslyn is still the same quaint little town with its many old houses, hopefully historically preserved and protected. All in all, the afternoon was quite nice.

Val Gomes”

Thanks to Peter Siegel (1966), Dan Silver (1967), Laurel Brandt (1968), and Jo Ann Bregman Miles (1972), we are getting somewhere. The following identifications are problematic/questionable, some more than others.

Front row (sitting): ???, ???, Barry Gold, ???, Steve Miller

Second Row: ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Judy Bregman, ??? (1966)

Third Row: ???, Steve Rosenthal, Michael Brandt, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Howard Senft, George Krauss

Fourth Row: ???, Steve Wechselblatt, Gary Mayne, Phil Kane, ???, ???

(((Art says - I would vouch for Barry Gold, Judy Bregman, and Mike Brandt, and I’m fairly confident of Steve Rosenthal, Steve Wechselblatt and George Krauss.)))

Further identifications, anyone?

Fan Mail

1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - “Thanks again for giving me fun memories of the past, when I was young 😆😆😆😆😆. Stay healthy 💙☮️ Jill”

1969 (Paula Panzeca Foresto) - 💙

1969 (Richard Schoenfeld) - 💙

1973 (Edward Ryder) - “So, it’s the Sunday NY Times in the morning and Art’s missive in the afternoon. Kind of like, ‘when Sulzberger meets Engoron.’ /s/Eddie”

1977 (Maryann Donnelly Kreischer) - 💙

1978 (William Haft) - 💙

1979 (David Zuckerberg) - “I love the Newsletters.”

1980 (Elissa Heil) - 💙

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 284 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 # 286. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary. ⏳

Art