Wheatley Alumni Newsletter
No. 9: November 16, 2016
The Wheatley School 60th Anniversary Celebration Final Report
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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 50th 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 11th 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 60th 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 50th and 60th. 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 50th 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 60th 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 60th was, indeed, held in 2016. And people
are already pondering whether the next such event should be held in 2021 (a 65th,
as suggested by one ebullient attendee), 2026 (a 70th) or 2031 (a 75th). 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!
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 50th 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 11th 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 60th 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.
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 50th and 60th. 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 50th 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 60th 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 60th was, indeed, held in 2016. And people are already pondering whether the next such event should be held in 2021 (a 65th, as suggested by one ebullient attendee), 2026 (a 70th) or 2031 (a 75th). 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!