The Wheatley School 60th Anniversary Celebration Final Report

The Wheatley School 60th Anniversary Celebration Final Report

The Wheatley School, 11 Bacon Road, Old Westbury, New York, 11568, 516-333-7804, celebrated its 60th Anniversary over the course of the weekend of October 14-16, 2016. The Wheatley School Alumni Association www.wheatleyalumni.org and the school itself www.ewsdonline.org/tws co-sponsored the event. This Final Report summarizes the planning, activities, and outcome of that milestone occasion.

Planning

Planning for the event began in or about 2014, with Principal Sean Feeney and/or Alumni Association Director Art Engoron (1967) presiding over a dozen or so productive 90-minute meetings. Art and Lynn Greenbaum (1969) attended every meeting, with Lynn taking copious notes and Art later turning them into semi-official meeting minutes. In early January, 2016, Jeanne Messing Sommer (1961), Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963), and Art and Lynn formed an Executive Committee of the Planning Committee to oversee implementation of the Planning Committees general directives.

In many ways, the Planning Committee (see Appendix A, The Printed Program, listing the members) followed the lead, and template, of The Wheatley School 50^th Anniversary, held in October 2006. For example, the Committee decided to hold the event at the school itself, in October, 2016, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the commencement of classes in the current building (prior thereto, classes had been held on the second floor of The Willets Road School). The second major decision, more difficult than it sounds, was to choose the particular weekend. Although the dates the Committee chose avoided all secular and religious holidays (but not Saturday Sabbath), some alumni were unable to attend because they were visiting their children at colleges that had pre-ordained these days as Visiting Weekend. Other people were unable to attend because of weddings (October has lots), work obligations, or illness. In the final analysis, no weekend will ever be perfect, and all things considered, including the weather (which happened to be gorgeous), mid-October is an excellent time of year for such an event.

Budgeting and the Registration Fee

Two distinctly different budgeting philosophies were proposed. Jeanne Messing Sommer (1961) started with the proposition that the event should pay for itself. She crunched the numbers assuming 1,000 people would attend and, alternatively, assuming 500 people would attend (which turned out to be right about on the mark). With costs factored in, the registration fee could be calculated with mathematical precision. Art Engoron (1967) started with the proposition that if the registration fee were set at the optimal amount, taking into account what people would expect to, and would, pay for such an event, then the event would, indeed, pay for itself. The Planning Committee decided to set the registration fee at $70 from commencement (in early February 2016) up until 7/31/16; $75 from 8/1 to 9/30; and $85 from 10/1 to 10/15, including walk-ins. In retrospect, the escalating registration fee, and those particular amounts, appear to have been consistent with both budgeting philosophies and wholly appropriate.

Sub-Committees (particularly Food)

Early on, the Planning Committee set up various sub-committees, a good example being the Decorating Sub-Committee. However, the only sub-committee that met regularly and functioned effectively was The Food Sub-Committee. Jeanne Messing Sommer and Camille Napoli Cannizzo (1961), Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963), Alison Kent Bermant and Suzanne Stone (1966), and Scott Frishman (1967) met early and often. Apparently after much sampling of various alternative cuisines, they wisely chose Bens Delicatessen (the owner of whose two children graduated from Wheatley) to cater the event. In order to avoid the long food lines that were roundly criticized during and after the 50 Anniversary Celebration, Ben distributed its food in boxes. The final tally (for those interested in such minutiae) was roast beef (85), corned beef (45), pastrami (55), turkey (116), and tuna fish (36) sandwiches; veggie wrap (47); and salad with chicken (85).

Registration

Another early decision was to allow, indeed encourage, on-line registration, consisting of payment and data collection. Ten years earlier, many alumni were surprised (and not a few disappointed) that they could not register on-line. Keith Aufhauser (1963), Webmaster of The Alumni Association, arranged to have the TWSAA website act as a portal to a PayPal account he set up. In the event, approximately 440 used credit cards to pay through PayPal; approximately 20 people mailed in checks; and approximately 30 people registered at the event itself. Total on-line payments were $37,005.00; PayPal pocketed $1,121.54 in fees; thus, total on-line receipts were $35,883.46.

The Schedule Theoretical and Actual

Theoretical - The Planning Committee wisely (it would seem) decided to reduce The Formal Ceremony (i.e., speeches) from 2006s one and a half hours to 2016s one hour (attention spans being what they are). The theoretical schedule was as follows:

Friday, October 14, 2016

1:00 PM to 2:30 PM - Career Panel

Evening - Individual or Combined Class Events

Saturday, October 15, 2016 (The Main Event)

1:00 PM - Doors Open

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Check-in, Walk-in Registrations, Distribution of Goodies

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM - Formal Ceremony in the Auditorium

4:15 PM to 4:30 PM - Group Photograph in the Gymnasium

4:30 PM to 5:30 PM - Meet and Greet, by Class, in Individual Classrooms

5:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Dinner in the Cafeteria and Individual Classrooms

6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Jam Band in the Gymnasium

8:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Affinity Groups in Individual Classrooms

9:00 PM to 10:00 PM - Clean-up and Farewells

Sunday, October 16, 2016

11:00 AM and Onward - Individual Class Brunches

Actual - The actual schedule was somewhat different. Due to the crush of late arrivals (exacerbated by heavy traffic on Long Islands main thoroughfares), and (arguably) humanitys natural tendency to procrastinate, the Formal Ceremony actually commenced at 3:30, and ran for 1:15, thus ending at 4:45. This delayed everything that came afterward by 45 minutes, with at least one deleterious consequence (below).

One mistake, easily avoidable, was initially to list the first activity, to wit, the Formal Ceremony, at the same time as the start of the days activities, to wit, 3:00 PM. This failed to allow time for hundreds of people to check in, obtain their nametags and other goodies, and enter the auditorium. This mistake was significantly, but probably not totally, ameliorated by numerous pre-event e-mails announcing that the doors would open at 1:00 and encouraging people to get there by 2:00. Nevertheless, many people arrived shortly before or well after 3:00, clogging the school entrance and causing the latecomers to miss all or part of the Formal Ceremony (which was not to be missed).

T-Shirts and Photographs

The deleterious consequence was a delay in the distribution of photographs. Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963) graciously arranged to have striking-red, all-cotton T-shirts and individual class photographs available for purchase. Approximately 62 T-shirts were sold in advance, and 47 were sold at the event, for $12 each; and 42 were sold after the event, for $15 each (included shipping). They came in Small (6), Medium (25), Large (35), X-Large (22), XX-Large (5), and XXX-Large (6) sizes (numbers are for first 99 orders). The photographs, at $20, were to be available towards the end of the event. However, the late start, exacerbated by the fact that one of the photographers two printers broke down early on, meant that people had to wait for photographs or have them mailed, creating significant extra work and some confusion.

In addition to the official photographer, Art Engoron (1967) arranged for a semi-professional photographer to roam the halls and click away. And, of course, many attendees took photos with personal cameras and smart phones. Photos have popped up on several Facebook pages, and many are currently available on Dropbox

Events That Failed to Materialize

Two scheduled events did not occur at all. From the beginning, Planning Committee sentiment consistently ran against having music (background or otherwise), on the ground that attendees would want to talk with each other, not talk over music. At the 11^th hour, a Jam Band (think hootenanny) was proposed, passed, and planned. The call went out to bring instruments. Seemingly, no one did, and the small stage and sound system set up in the gymnasium sat unused.

The Affinity Groups idea was that, regardless of class, the orchestra, band, and choir musicians would gather in one room; the newspaper and literary magazine writers would gather in another; the football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, baseball and field hockey athletes would gather in a third; etc. Again, no one did. This may have been because by the late starting time (8:00), everyone had pretty much settled into conversation, in one place or another, with classmates or friends. Or maybe the idea simply had no appeal. A noble failure, one might say, especially as the Social Organization affinity group was to have an LGBT component and a singles component.

The Career Panel

Left to Right
Front row:  Abra Morawiec (2004), Laurence Schiller 1968), Jo Anne Bregman Miles (1972)
Rear row:  Richard Weissman (1972), Ellen Solow Holzman (1964), Joseph Iannotti (1962), Mark Luria (1961), John Kapinos (1962), Linda Kapinos (1968), Arthur Engoron (1967), Alan Littman (1981), John Rigrod (1961), Marc Sherwin (2007), Jerome Mintz (1961)

Whereas 2006 saw four separate Career Panels, 2016 saw one, organized by Ellen Solow Holzman (1964, and later a teacher at Wheatley), who earned all the kudos she received. In Room 450 all seniors heard from a group of about a dozen graduates toiling in such diverse fields as medicine, law, teaching, farming, and writing. Other than running overtime (strict time limits should have been imposed and enforced), all went well. The talk by Richard Weissman (1972) about his forays into the realm of technology, was particularly well-received.

The Friday Night and Sunday Morning Class Gatherings

Various classes held events on Friday night at local hotels, restaurants and residences (Larry Fox, 1966; and Ally Acker, 1972). One intrepid party-crasher schlepped his three youngest kids (10, 9, and 8) to six of them (1961 at the Hampton Inn in Garden City; 1971 at the Viana Hotel in Westbury; 1972 at the Acker Residence in Roslyn Heights; 1973 at the Union Prime Steak and Sushi Restaurant in Great Neck; 1974 at Ginos Restaurant in Williston Park; and 1975 at Antonettes Restaurant in East Hills), bar-hopping style, and was surprised and impressed by the large turnouts and abundant enthusiasm, harbingers of next days Main Event. The Class of 1975 gathering appeared to be the biggest, best, and most boisterous, with more than 80 classmates attending. Other Friday night gatherings were 1963 at the Marriott in Uniondale; 1970 at the Chalet in Roslyn; and 1980/1981 at Eleanor Rigbys in Mineola. Sunday brunches were 1962 at the Caf Espaola in Manhattans West Village; 1963 Chez Marcia Friedman Mayer; and 1972 at the Majestic Diner on Old Country Road in Westbury. Perhaps the cleverest idea came from 1965, which had a pre-event event starting Saturday morning at the Sheridan Bowling facility on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola (talk about thinking in the box!).

Saturday, 10/15/16 The Main Event

The Formal Ceremony speakers were, individually and collectively, terrific. Principal Sean Feeney (Wheatley is Wonderful); Larry Weiss (1967) (Wheatley Has Always Been Wonderful: Some History); Board of Education President Mark Kamberg (The Entire District is Wonderful); Board of Education Member Alan Littman (1981) (Giving is Better Than Receiving); Art Engoron (1967) (You Cant Make this Stuff Up); former Principal Rick Simon (I Had a Great Run Here); Amy Pastarnack Hughes (1967) (Ive Been Lucky to Hit Every Curveball Thrown My Way); and Bonnie Greenberg (1973) (There Are Many Different Paths to Try to Make a Difference) kept the crowd titillated (at times) and, yet, filled with a deep appreciation of how fortunate we were to have attended such a special school.

The Other Events

The Formal Ceremony was followed by fotos, friendship, food and farewells (roughly in that order). All graduates were encouraged to, and most did, sit for a group portrait in the Gymnasium, after which individual classes were photographed. The Meet and Greet classrooms were well supplied with snacks (thanks largely to Camille Napoli Cannizzo and Jeanne Messing Sommer (1961) and Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963). Bens boxed meals were distributed in the cafeteria and eaten there and in the Meet and Greet classrooms. Several civic-minded citizens helped the schools friendly, efficient school maintenance crew, which included Jerome and Mark, clean up. An animated group of eight new-found friends, to wit, Donald Cohen and Billy Diamond (1969); Joanne Horowitz, George Nierenberg and Drew Tressler (1970); Bonnie Greenberg (1973); and Mitchell Harwood and Wendy Shapiro-turned-Elizabeth Welles (1975) closed the place at about 10:30. The festivities continued at TRs on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park until who-knows-when.

Funds

Funds were kept in a large commercial bank..but the full story (not all of which will be told here) is much more complicated than that. Simply put, in the post-9/11 world, one cannot simply open a bank account unless (for present purposes) one is an individual, a business, or a certified tax-exempt organization. Various alumni legal and accounting professionals (working gratis) advised that setting up a tax-exempt organization would entail time, money and expertise, and require the filing of a tax return. An individual account was deemed inappropriate for the tens of thousands of dollars that would be flowing in and out. The 60^th Anniversary Celebration was not a business; nobody profited monetarily. Fortunately, the bank in question allowed the setting up of an oxymoronic personal business account and waived all fees, earning eternal gratitude (and perhaps future business).

Saving Money

The event saved money in several crucial ways. The Planning Committee originally thought that Wheatleys 405 parking lot spaces would be insufficient to handle the throngs that would attend, which would necessitate parking at The Willets Road School and money for shuttle bus transportation. When the turnout turned out to be more modest than anticipated, the shuttle busses were deemed unnecessary, saving thousands of dollars. E-mails encouraged car-pooling, public transportation, and walking, and in the event Wheatleys North and South Parking Lots were, barely, sufficient. Holding the Formal Ceremony in the Auditorium, rather than the Gym (as was done 10 years earlier), saved the money that would have paid for setting up a speakers platform. Extensive set-up during the week, and the diminished number of attendees, saved further money on overtime. Lynn Greenbaum (1969) liaised with the school and the school board, resulting in a generous (and much-appreciated) subsidy of the event.

Last but not least, using volunteers, rather than paid personnel, for set-up, check-in, and clean up minimized, or even eliminated, labor costs. Among those selflessly helping out, in some cases for several days, and with several different tasks, were Camille Napoli Cannizzo, Nancy Kurshan, Jerry Mintz, Merry Orling (and her husband Bernard) and Jeanne Messing (1961); Joe Iannotti and Louise Sobin Hersh (and friend Joan Levick) (1962); Marianne Lamitola Downey (1963); Alison Kent Bermant, Frank Lamitola and Suzanne Stone (1966); Scott Frishman (1967); Lisa Mintz (1968); Gail LaPasta Gannotti (1974); Linda LaPasta Kiley (1975); Charlie Cassely (1976), and Ilene Schuss (teacher). On Saturday, Indra Nath (Lynn Greenbaums friend) and her daughter Vana (2020), and Lynns son Benjamin Kurtz (2014), worked the registration table, freeing more recent graduates to attend the Formal Ceremony and other events. Jeanne Messing Sommer and Marianne Lamitola Downey spent hours processing latecomers.

Who Was There?

All told, 5,096 people (every graduate, administrator, teacher, and staffer for whom the Alumni Association had an e-mail address) were invited; 475 people paid to register; 28 people (current and former employees; a few parents; and a few hardship cases) did not have to pay to register (so registrations totaled 503, including guests); 611 people negatively RSVPd; and several thousand people were never heard from. As best as can be determined, 493 people actually attended (see Appendix B, The Attendance List). Most no-shows were felled by flu or other minor ailments. Attendees came from as far away as England (Mark Luria, 1961); Germany (David Friedman, 1962); France (Elizabeth Stone Matho, 1963); Argentina (Marta Pesa, 1966); and Canada (Lloyd Rosler, 1979).

School spirit (or whatever brings people to these events) apparently runs in families. All four Resnicows Norman, 1965; Eva, 1968; David, 1972; and Ruth, 1975 attended. Families with three graduates attending were Artim, Greenbaum, Hegyi, Hoffman, Kent, King, and Moritz.

As was the case 10 years earlier, most attendees graduated in the 1960s and 1970s. This time the Class of 1970 took top honors, crushing the competition with 35 graduates (live and in-person), a testament to the assiduous efforts of Class Correspondent Jane Roeder.

Number of Attendees in Each Class

1960     4	1961     13	1962     7	1963    13
1964     7	1965     16	1966     28	1967     15
1968     27	1969     11	1970     35	1971     24
1972     25	1972     25	1974     30	1975     27
1976     22	1977     17	1978     11	1979     22

The early 1980s classes also had sizeable turnouts.

The registration process started slow (like pulling teeth is how one organizer described it) but gained momentum, particularly due to two devices. One was posting a constantly-updated Attendance List on the Alumni Website. Based on anecdotal evidence, people were inclined to attend when they saw that their friends would. The other was a constant stream of Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters that included School News, Wheatley Lives, and Wheatley Deaths. Several people were keen on the admonition in each issue to send us your autobiography before someone else sends us your obituary! Registrations surged in the aftermath of each newsletter. As Casey Stengel famously said of the New York Mets in the summer of 1969, The Mets has come along slow, but fast. The PayPal registrations provided a treasure trove of Wheatley contact information (telephone numbers; snail-mail addresses, and a few alternate e-mail addresses) that will be useful going forward.

The Final Accounting

The Great Event (as it was sometimes immodestly called) produced a huge surplus, and the following figures are reasonably accurate, albeit subject to change without notice:

Total Receipts: (including PayPal [registration and other fees and contributions], checks, and cash):

$39,960.77 (includes contributions; see Appendix C, the Contributors List)

Total Expenditures:

$14,911.89, includes

Lanyards - $1,563 - from Top Banana Advertising Specialties, Inc., 303 Calibre Woods Dr., Atlanta, GA 30329, 404-634-5768, c/o Arthur Brown (1967)

Programs - $480 from New York Prints, ALAN@NYPRINTS.US, 646-373-6797, c/o Alan Handell

Food - $8,068 from Ben's New York Kosher Delicatessen & Restaurant, www.bensdeli.net, c/o Ronald Dragoon

Refunds - $120

Miscellaneous items, including snacks, desserts, table clothes, plates, eating utensils, drinks, photographs, T-Shirts - $4,680.89

Bottom Line

$25,048.88 Amount currently available to be contributed to the East Williston Educational Foundation (subject to unanticipated requests for reimbursement).

Lessons for the Future

Planners of future Wheatley Anniversary Celebrations (perhaps reading these lines) would do well to follow the examples set by the 50^th and 60^th. Plan early (and often). Have a large committee, but a core group of activists. Schedule for October (or perhaps May). Venue at Wheatley. Use the activity schedule set forth above as a template. Work closely with the school and the school district. Set the fee at a reasonable amount (and people will come). Avoid food lines. Allow for on-line registration. Encourage early registration, but allow walk-ins. Have the doors open several hours before the start of formal events, and encourage people to arrive well in advance. Warn of likely traffic delays. Skip music. Maximize technology (website; database; e-mail). Dont bite off more than you can chew. Figure out your depository account early on. Strongly encourage administrators, teachers and recent graduates to attend. Most important of all, gather a good group of people and work your butts off.

Conclusion

The Final Report of The Wheatley School 50^th Anniversary Celebration http://www.wheatleyalumni.org/final_report.htm ends as follows: By any and all criteria, the event was a huge success. The Wheatley School Alumni Association was formed in its wake. Thought is already being given to whether the next such event should be held in 2016 or 2031.

Well, The Wheatley School 60^th Anniversary Celebration was also a huge success (see Appendix D, Love Letters), with crucial help down the stretch from Principal Sean Feeney, Assistant Principal Karen Klapper, and Secretary to the Principal Linda Leff. The Alumni Association is alive and well. The 60^th was, indeed, held in 2016. And people are already pondering whether the next such event should be held in 2021 (a 65^th, as suggested by one ebullient attendee), 2026 (a 70^th) or 2031 (a 75^th). Stay tuned!

Report prepared by The Wheatley School Alumni Association (Art Engoron, Director).

Report approved by The Wheatley School (Sean Feeney, Principal).

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A THE PRINTED PROGRAM:

APPENDIX B THE ATTENDANCE LIST

Last Name	Current	First Name	Middle	Year	Guests Name
Crisci	Krieg	Louise		1958
Bauer	Maglin	Nan		1959
Sanderson		Stuart		1959
Sanzone		Matthew	James	1959
Cohen	Eder	Janet		1960
Hennessy		Paul		1960
Moncure		John		1960
Zebrowski		Garrett	Stephen	1960
Davidson	Blaney	Jill	Catherine	1961
Jablon		Michael		1961
Jalonack	Blum	Carol		1961
Jerome		Timothy	H	1961
Kerstein	Brosowsky	Deborah	R	1961
Kurshan		Nancy	Sarah	1961
Luria		Mark		1961
Messing	Sommer	Jeanne		1961
Mintz		Jerome		1961
Orling		Merry		1961
Razzetti		Eugene	A	1961
Rigrod		John	L Elliot	1961
Symons		Leonard	Barry	1961	Carol A. Symons
Brody		Arthur		1962
Freiman		Robert	Warren	1962
Friedman		David		1962	Bettina von Uechtritz u. Steinkirch
Iannotti		Joseph	A	1962
Kapinos		John		1962
Rignel		Raymond		1962
Russek		Marguerite		1962
Chaikin	Bernstein	Kathleen		1963
Erdmann	Brody	Linda		1963
Friedman	Kramer Mayer	Marcia		1963
Gross	Sprague	Susan		1963
Holzman	Ingalls	Maida		1963
Jacobs	Komack	Lauren		1963
Kenton		Donna		1963
Krakauer		Gary		1963
Krane	Crane-Campanella	Deborah		1963
Mills	Kandel	Allyn		1963
Sanzone		Charles		1963
Schiller	Fisher	Leslie		1963	Michael Fisher
Stone	Matho	Elizabeth		1963
Bertani		John		1964
Dreier		Andrew		1964
Liebert		Michael		1964
Miller		Kenneth	B	1964
Moritz		Meryl	Anne	1964
Parisi	Kaplan	Geraldine	Geri	1964
Sobolow		David		1964
Alpert		Henry	A	1965
Bagdon		Mark		1965
David		Paul		1965	Deena David
Evans		Eliot		1965	Kay Evans
Firetog		Neil	Jon	1965
Geery	Pernath	Gibb now Saleem		1965
Goldenberg	Fire	Jane		1965
Hegyi	Gillman	Donna	Ann	1965
Jablon		Sally	Susan	1965	Richard Pohl
Kampa	Triano Pecorino	Louise		1965
Katz		Kenneth		1965
Resnicow		Norman	J	1965
Rogers		Richard	Ashley	1965
Schiller		Lanning	S	1965
Senft	Kochek	Ellen now Ellie		1965
Till		Peter	W	1965
Berger	Garavaglia Jones	Susan		1966	Roger Jones
Davis		Deborah	Lynn	1966
Gersh	Whitman	Gretchen		1966	Dale Whitman
Goldstein	Ossim	Leslie		1966
Greenbaum		Glen		1966
Grella		Michael		1966
Gruskin	Gerstein	Amy		1966	Richard Gerstein
Ibanez		Andrea		1966	Jonathan Kress
Jalonack		Richard	I	1966	Tibi Jalonack
Kent	Bermant	Alison		1966
Knetzer		Jeffrey		1966	Diane Knetzer
Lagin		Adrienne	Emily	1966
Lamitola		Francis	J	1966
Metten		Steven		1966
Pesa		Marta	Azucena	1966
Rignel	Bertani	Linda		1966
Rosengarten	Rosenof	Jane		1966	Howard Rosenof
Sarnoff		Robert		1966
Schuh	Silver	Marjorie	Ann	1966
Siegel		Peter		1966
Spininger		Janet		1966
Stange		Robert	A	1966	Connie Rue-Stange
Swickle		Marc	B	1966
Walsh		Kathleen		1966
Wattel	Arenson	Karen	Hope	1966	Greg Arenson
Whack		Harold	L	1966
Willard		Dan		1966
Winters		Preston		1966
Danziger	Robinson	Mara	B	1967	Billow Robinson
Engoron		Arthur	Fredericks	1967
Fea		Philip		1967
Friedman	Lieberman	Deborah	Sue	1967
Frishman		Scott		1967
Geery		Scott	Talman	1967
Liebert		Suzy		1967
Miller	Merkler	Frances		1967	Richard Merkler
Miller	Penn	Susan		1967
Orgel	Meilinger	Judith		1967
Pastarnack	Hughes	Amy	Beth	1967
Senft		Howard		1967
Stevens		Nancy	J	1967
Weiss		Lawrence	Stephen	1967
Zebrowski	Kaufman	Corinne		1967	Andy Kaufman
Berman		Jed		1968
Buckner		Janice		1968
Edelstein		Joan	Carol	1968
Filler	Filler-Varty	Joane	Lois	1968
Forstenzer		Andrew	Paul	1968
Garin	Abelson	Patricia		1968
Glaser		Tom	Peter	1968
Goldfeder	Weiss	Susan	Paige	1968
Hechler		David		1968
Hegyi	Goldstein	Lois		1968
Kapinos	Frysztacki	Linda	Jean	1968
Kenton		Gary		1968
Kram		Kathy		1968	Peter Yeager
Levine		Ilene ("Cookie")		1968
Matthesen		Gary	C	1968
Mintz	Harris	Lisa		1968
Mok		John		1968
Rappaport	Vezza	Arlene		1968
Resnicow		Eva		1968
Reuben		Eric		1968
Schiller		Laurence	Dana	1968
Shechtman		William		1968
Silvering	Glaser	Jill		1968
Skolnik		Steven	David	1968
Spier	Cohn	Ricki		1968
Suss		Howard	S	1968
Walsh		John	M	1968
Artim		Craig		1969
Cantor		Paul		1969
Cohen		Donald		1969
Diamond		William		1969
Greenbaum		Lynn		1969
Hack		Jay		1969
Lipsky		Jack		1969	Rhonda Lipsky
Melloh		James		1969
Nitzky		Lawrence		1969
Orgel		Robert		1969
Silver	Samuels	Dorothy		1969
Abramowitz		Robert		1970
Bush		Robert		1970	Mari Bush
Carr	Panella	Elaine		1970
Chock	Carlin	Andrea		1970
Fitzpatrick		Gregory		1970
Goldberg	Hornbecker	Janet		1970	Greg Tadlock
Halpern		Robin	S	1970
Horowitz		Joanne		1970
Hurvitz	Shea	Karen		1970
Jacoby	Budish	Amy		1970
Krauss	Mandell	Arlene		1970
Levien		Kenneth	D	1970
Lipsky		Barry		1970
Madison		Jane	A	1970
Manning	Smith	LaVerne		1970
McKenna		Walter		1970	Unknown
Metten	Brooks	Linda		1970
Moritz	Brodsky	Stacey	Joan	1970
Nierenberg		George	T	1970
Nordlinger		James		1970
Reuben		Nancy		1970
Roeder		Jane		1970
Rosen		Steven	A	1970
Rosenbloom		Richard	L	1970
Ruby		Kenneth		1970
Seman		Dana		1970
Semble		Monroe		1970
Shechtman	Needham	Roberta		1970
Spier	Cohen	Mindy		1970
Terris		Douglas		1970
Tressler		Drew		1970
Unger	Hochman	Victoria		1970
Weiss		John	R	1970
Weiss		Susan		1970
Artim		Bruce		1971
Bagdon		Anne		1971
Byer		David	L	1971
Danziger	Fleischner	Karen		1971
Dubb	Rosing	Marjorie		1971
Fidelman		Miles		1971
Hack	Silverberg	Robin		1971
Hechler		Jonathan		1971
Hill	Kurman	Gail		1971
Kurman		David		1971
Linde		Stephen	A	1971
Mudick		Mitchell		1971
Orlins	Trigg	Phyllis		1971
Roberts		Melissa		1971
Rosen		Andrew		1971
Schuster	Monroe	Jamie		1971
Senz		Steven		1971
Sesskin		Merraine		1971	Harvey Krimko
Shapiro		Richard		1971
Sherwin		Steven		1971
Soll	Soll-Broxterman	Laura		1971
Stavola		Joseph	M	1971
Stein		Felice		1971
Stellato	Heney Coyne	Carole	Ann	1971
Acker		Arlene turned Ally		1972
Arcuri	D'Arpino	Pamela	Joya	1972
Bregman	Miles	Jo Ann		1972
Celella		Paul		1972
Chock	Fleishman	Patricia		1972	Stanley Fleishman
Diamond	Diamond-Kheel	Elizabeth	Ann	1972
Dobrow	Rosenberg	Maris		1972
Filler	Wilensky	Donna		1972
Freier	Edwards	Robin		1972
Frishman		Richard		1972
Gaines	Sieden	Jill	Clarice	1972
Goldberg	Gottlieb	Sherry		1972
Karben	Giserman	Suellyn		1972
Kargman		Jeffrey		1972
Katz		Seth	Michael	1972
Kent		Ilene		1972
Krakauer		Steven		1972
Oppenheim	Darrah	Judith		1972
Resnicow		David		1972
Schaffel	Fraga	Janet		1972
Vincze		James		1972
Walsh	Tracey	Jean		1972
Weissman		Richard		1972	J. D. Horn
Wild		Philip		1972
Zibaida		Gloria		1972
Balducci		Marta		1973
Burns	Shostak	Barbara	B	1973
Clarke		Timothy	J	1973
Davis	Pereira	Susan		1973
Dreyer		Nancy	Ruth	1973
Engoron		Daniel	Ross	1973
Glickman		Todd		1973
Greenberg		Bonnie	Lynn	1973
Hammond		George		1973	Unknown
Kaltinick	Peterson	Vera		1973
Karasyk	Ryan	Lauren		1973
Knoller	Kennedy	Cathy		1973
Oakley		John	F	1973
Simel		Gary		1973
Weinstock		Leonard		1973
Weiss		Lawrence		1973
Weiss	Danzi Engoron	Sara		1973
Abramowitz	Sussman	Amy		1974
Artim		Melanie		1974	Bruno Artim Gridelli
Boschen	Tatem	Vivian	Arlene	1974
Bosshart		William		1974
Cave		Gregory		1974
Cialeo		Joseph		1974
Cilmi	O'Connell	Maria		1974
Cohen		Laurie	P	1974
Copeland		Debra	Joy	1974
Engel	Rosenberg	Joyce		1974
Feld		Scot	C	1974
Gaines		Clifford		1974
Herbst		Laura		1974
Jacoby	ArbitalJacoby	Jeremy		1974
Jennison	McNally	Patricia		1974
LaPasta	Gannotti	Gail		1974	Unknown
Lombardo		Fred	J	1974
Madison	Reiser	Catherine		1974
Maguire		Peggy		1974
Michaelson	Lieblich	Cathy		1974
Modico	Gallup	Katherine		1974
Perlstein		Jay		1974
Rios	Whitley	Denise		1974
Roeder	Zolezzi	Nancy		1974
Siegel		James		1974
Stein		Scott	Douglas	1974
Stellato	Mazer	Frances		1974
Struhl		Clifford		1974
Weissman		Richard		1974
Willick	Guzman	Ilona		1974
Asher		Laurie		1975
Bodkin		David		1975	Marita Bodkin
Buckner	LaPietra	Toni		1975
Fink	Fricano	Sharon		1975
Frank	Sassoon	Stephanie		1975
Goldstein	Huskins-Parker	Joan		1975
Greenapple		Beth	S	1975
Grillo		LeAnne		1975
Harvey		Mark		1975
Harwood		Mitchell		1975
Herbst	Fetters	Amy		1975
Karasyk		Jeffrey		1975
Kent		William		1975
Lubin		Mark	Lowell	1975
Mok	Sorenson	Heidi		1975
Oliva		Joseph		1975	April Flak
Olson		Dana	W	1975
Peterson		Alan		1975	Michele Peterson
Resnicow		Ruth		1975
Rotholz		Susan		1975
Senz		Laurie		1975
Shapiro	Welles	Wendy-turned-Elizabeth		1975
Silvering	Keller	Sharon		1975
Solomon		David		1975
Tanner		Richard	M	1975	Unknown
Vincze		Robert	Joseph	1975
Weiss		Daniel	H	1975
Zibaida	Seidel	Gretta		1975
Cassely		Charles		1976
Clarke	Riddle	Debra		1976	George Riddle
Copeland		Lawrence		1976
Costello	Willis	Mary		1976
Davidson	Safenowitz	Lynn		1976
Dubb	Lynn	Joanne		1976
Firetog	Glanzberg	Robin		1976
Greenbaum	Berger	Felice		1976
Hegyi	Sisskind	Robin		1976
Katz		Paul		1976
Kaufman	Goldberg	Margot		1976
King		Bruce		1976	Janis Guerney
Kling		Arnold		1976
Kreutzberger	Aird	Susan		1976
Linde		Gregg		1976
Moritz	Topping	Kerri		1976
Paisner		Lauren		1976
Roeder		Carol		1976
Rosenberg		Seth		1976
Ross	Birnbaum	Renee		1976
Spininger		Donald	M	1976
Volpe		Richard		1976
Weissman		Nancy		1976
Zahn		Alan		1976
Alt	Roos	Karen		1977
Baltzer		Lorraine	R	1977
Camp		Steven	R	1977
Fine	Berliner	Meryl	F	1977
Fleck	Fallarino	Carmel	J	1977
Gerstner		Glenn		1977
Gnatowsky		Steven	E	1977
Goldstein		Robert		1977
Gould	Schwarz	Andrea	S	1977
Licht	Wolgel	Lisbeth	M	1977
Manning		Lance		1977	Lance M's Guest
McDowell	Shaheen	Carol	B	1977
Rosenberg	Katims	Amy	L	1977
Watnick		Linda		1977
Weiss		James		1977
Winn		Mitchell	J	1977
Zaid		Adam		1977
Chiarelli	Meglio	Marie		1978
Feldhun	Handy	Amy	S	1978
Fitzpatrick		Gerard		1978	Jennifer Fitzpatrick
Jarkon	Horlick	Liat		1978
Kahan		Eric		1978
Kargman		Steven		1978
King		Julie	E	1978	Rashi King
McClure		Heidi		1978
Orowitz	McKoane	Jennifer	Ann	1978	Boyd McKoane
Prince	Zahn	Robin		1978
Rosler		Randall		1978
Abeshouse		Adam	J	1979
Bookbinder		Ronald		1979	James Fisher
Chin		David	A	1979	Norene Chin
Colavita	Milia	Debra		1979
Cutler		Wayne	I	1979	Adriana Cutler
DeVries		Suzanne		1979
Gould	Dinnerman	Amy		1979
Greenapple		David	Marc	1979
Hoffman	Feusterheim	Julie	Ann	1979
Jug	Jug-Weiss	Irena		1979
Kalish	Chader	Pamela	Sue	1979	Paul Chader
King		Janet	Lauren	1979
Klestadt		Tracy	Lee	1979	Esther DuVal
Knowles		Jannette		1979
Lazar		Sharon	L	1979
Malsky	Peisic	Beth		1979
McClure		Gwendolyn	Maude	1979
Rosler		Lloyd	Lee	1979
Schuckman	Dultz	Alisa		1979
Sigman		David	Aron	1979
Silber	Signorelli	Barbara	Ellen	1979
Weinstein		Peter		1979	Robin Okun
Baliff		Ethan		1980
Baltzer		Michael		1980
Bernstein		Robert	I	1980
Cooper		Todd		1980
Correnti		Gary		1980
Hoffman	Rothman	Barbara		1980
Kaufman		Jill		1980
McLean		William	James	1980
Modico		Linda		1980
Oppenheim		Jeffrey	S	1980
Reynolds		William		1980
Schwartzberg		Brad	Jeffrey	1980
Sichenzia		Gregory		1980
Weiss		Kenneth	Roy	1980
Alt	Gnatowsky	Christine		1981
Black		Alyssa	J	1981
Chiarelli		JoAnn		1981
DeRosa	Grieco	Marie		1981
Greenberg	Fedelim	Joy		1981
Lanzetta	Yeager	Tara		1981
Licht		Carolyn	D	1981
Littman		Alan		1981	Amy Littman
Marlowe	Shiff	Miriam	H	1981
Valicenti		Georgia		1981	Arthur Stanger
Winn	Pruzan	Tracey	Sheryl	1981
Firestone	DiMaulo	Elizabeth		1982
Greenfield	Greenwald	Ellen		1982
Lee	M	Sharon		1982
Marino		Robert	J	1982
Minor		Janice		1982
Colavita	Farrar	Denise		1983	William Farrar
Four	Silber	Patricia		1983
Hoffman		Andrew		1983
Lojacono	Baltzer	Lori		1983
Silber		David	William	1983
Ueno		Takemi		1983
Goldstein		Jared		1985
Knowles		Diane		1986
Lee	Cowing	Julia		1986
Pessin	Lerman	Nancy		1986
Rabenou	Malekmehr	Navid	Rebecca	1986
Solomon		Gary		1986
Spilky		Erica		1986
Eder		Kenneth	R	1988
Hamlin		Paul		1988
Mamais		Petros		1988
Tisch		Alexander	Matthew	1989
Rabenou	Garnock	Rochelle		1990
Sidhwani		Vijay		1997
Saporta		Jonathan	Sam	1998
Balducci		Christopher		2000
Feeney		Sean	C	administrator
Klapper	Malik	Karen		administrator
O'Brien		James		administrator
Simon		Richard		administrator
Anonymous		Anonymous	A	Secret
Berkowitz		Wes		staff
Kurman		Mae		staff
Bartscherer		Karen		teacher
Bernstein		Robert	J	teacher
Israel		David	K	teacher
Oliver		Gloria	C	teacher
Schuss		Ilene		teacher

APPENDIX C THE CONTRIBUTORS LIST

The following 38 people contributed a total of $1,469, which, because the event finished well in the black, in turn, became a contribution to The East Williston Education Foundation, Inc.

Last Name	Current	First Name	Middle	Year
Hennessy		Paul		1960
Moncure		John		1960
Jalonack	Blum	Carol		1961
Mintz		Jerome		1961
Orling		Merry		1961
Young	D'Agostino	Henrietta	Chicca	1961
Klotz	Obie	Naomi		1962
Newman	Elghanayan	Nancy		1962
Aufhauser		Robert	Keith	1963
Jacobs	Komack	Lauren		1963
Kenton		Donna		1963
Stone	Matho	Elizabeth		1963
Simmons		Steven		1964
Alpert		Henry	A	1965
Evans		Eliot		1965
Goldenberg	Fire	Jane		1965
Schiller		Lanning	S	1965
Berger	Garavaglia Jones	Susan		1966
Kent	Bermant	Alison		1966
Noble	Rubiger Olmert	Diana	Ellen	1966
Pesa		Marta	Azucena	1966
Stone		Suzanne	Ellen	1966
Whack		Harold	L	1966
Geery		Scott	Talman	1967
Seaton		James	A	1967
Weiss		Lawrence	Stephen	1967
Aibel		Wendy		1968
Silver	Samuels	Dorothy		1969
Celella		Paul		1972
Dobrow	Rosenberg	Maris		1972
Roeder		Mary		1972
Bosshart		William		1974
Koenig	Franzino	Patricia		1975
Moritz	Topping	Kerri		1976
Zaid		Adam		1977
Abeshouse		Adam	J	1979
Sigman		David	Aron	1979
Baliff		Ethan		1980

APPENDIX D Love Letters

Great day, great evening; thanks for all the team did to pull this off brilliantly. - 1964

We had a great time.  It was my wife's first time ever (in 41 years of marriage) visiting Wheatley and meeting some of my friends and classmates 1965

I had a great time. The reunion was just terrific. 1965

Congratulations! The Wheatley School Anniversary Celebration was a great success. 1966

The reunion was highly successful and great fun! I look forward to the next one! - 1966

Thanks for another great Wheatley celebration.  It was the huggingest party! 1967

We really all had such a great time! - 1967

A terrific event! I could tell it was enjoyed by all! 1968

Fantastic event. Looking forward to the next one. - 1968

Its an experience to walk the halls, see the changes, stir up memories and find old friends. - 1968

Thank you for arranging the lovely Wheatley Anniversary Celebration.  I loved meeting up with old friends. The speakers did a great job too!  It was worth the horrible New York traffic to be able to attend!  - 1968

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. At some point these high school reunions seem to reach down to the deep well of the past and touch some long but consciously forgotten memory that is part of who I am. - 1968

The event brought joy to many. - 1968

Not only did I get to talk to a lot of people from our class and reminisced, but I also spoke to a lot of people from other classes who I knew, or whose siblings I knew. 1969

I and everybody that I spoke with really enjoyed themselves. - 1970

I had a great time. 1970

It truly was a GREAT EVENT! - 1970

Thanks for organizing that wonderful anniversary celebration.  I'm so happy I was able to attend - I had a great time. 1970

It was a tremendous event and meant so much to me. 1970

I witnessed so much love and happiness between my fellow Wheatley Grads, it was such a memorable and inspiring day. The hugs and smiles shared will not be forgotten 1971

The 60th was great!! - 1971

Great Event -1972

The Wheatley School's Diamond Jubilee was fantastic. I had a great time. 1972

The reunion really was wonderful! 1972

We had a wonderful time at the events, and we spent the late afternoon today at the Roslyn Duck Pond.  It is still as pretty as it was, and a great way to end our Long Island visit. 1972

Fabulous event - 1973

The reunion changed my life....yup, changed my life. 1973

Fantastic event. 1974

  I left thinking that I don't want to wait another 10 years for the next all-school reunion. - 1974

The Wheatley 60th Celebration was a great success. - 1974

Yesterday was terrific. 1975

Thank you again for such a wonderful event. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. We look forward to seeing you at the next shindig. - 1976

Thank you very, very much for the absolutely terrific reunion last weekend. I had a wonderful time seeing old classmates and meeting other Wheatley graduates, especially from the surrounding classes.  For me and the other attendees, it was a truly memorable and special day. 1978

I had a wonderful time at the anniversary celebration. 1979

It changed my life.....only positive things took place. 1981

We all had a wonderful time last weekend.  We are still talking about it! Great Job! - 1981

It was a wonderful event and I enjoyed seeing so many friends and making new ones all night long. The whole weekend was just priceless. I look forward to future Wheatley events in the coming years. - 1982

It was a great event. It was nice meeting so many of the Wheatley alumni. 1988

I enjoyed the day very much. Saw a # of former students.  Congrats on having so many people participate. Teacher

The end!