Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons,

Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 260.

Prejudice on Long Island

Steve Ehre (Faculty) Writes - “In the most recent Newsletter, someone wrote that their Jewish family lived in Levittown in 1947 or 1948. It is true that there were covenants about Blacks being prohibited. It is also true that there were no similar covenants about Jews. But in the beginning, 1947, there was an implied restriction about Jews, and steering was very common. Although her family may have lived in Levittown in 1947/48, Jews were not welcome. Early sales practices kept most Jews away with informal discrimination, and very few lived there. That started to change in the mid to late 1950s. This information is from several sources, including David Kushner’s famous book about the racial history of Levittown, NY.

I lived in Port Washington. My Mom and Dad moved there in 1940. We were one of only five Jewish families. By the time I graduated high school, in 1958, there were many Jews. There were also four golf courses in the immediate area (Plandome, North Hempstead, IBM, Sands Point) and none allowed Jews. The closest that did allow Jews was the Lake Success Club in Great Neck. In 1958, there was a lot of discrimination against Jews in Port Washington, even though our numbers had increased. Two families would not let their daughter date me because of my religion. Two famous colleges rejected me, even though my record was near the top in my class, because they did not admit Jews. In my sophomore year at Paul D. Schreiber High School, before every assembly, we all said the Lord’s Prayer before we sang the national Anthem. That stopped my Junior year.

After College, I tried my hand at advertising, but most of Madison Avenue firms, including Lennen & Newell and J. Walter Thompson, did not hire Jews. That was the reason Doyle, Dane, Bernbach was started. (My Mom dated Matt Dane). I was also told to get rid of my brand new sports jacket and slacks and white shirt and tie and get a suit. And here I thought I looked ‘spiffy.’ I did get a job at a small award-winning agency. Nine months later, I went back to school to get two Master’s degrees, and I wound up teaching for 32 years.”

Parent - Mrs. Jeanine Brescia

Elvira “Vivi” Cilmi Kunz (1964) writes - “ Congratulations to Mrs. Brescia and her family! Our families were backyard neighbors for many years. We always enjoyed
hanging over the fence sharing family concerns and fun. Happy birthday!
Love, Vivi Cilmi and Family

Sharon Neely Halm (1965) Writes “Seeing Mrs. Brescia doing so well at the age of 106 was lovely. The family moved on to Charles St., four houses from where my three sisters and I grew up. We all went to North Side School and then on to Wheatley. Wonderful memories!”

Graduates

1967 - Douglas Brautigam - Deceased

Douglas was born on May 18, 1949 in Wilmington, Del. He died on Jan. 9, 2026 in Monroe, N.Y. after a short illness.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Joy Salerno; his daughter Lauren Jade; grandchildren Fletcher Clark and Alice Clark; sister Betsy Brautigam Carter; brother Steven Brautigam; as well as many dear cousins, nieces and nephews; and long-time friends like Scott Geery (1967) . He was predeceased by parents Robert and Elizabeth and brother Kendall Brautigam (1975) .

In 1951, he moved to East Williston, N.Y. with his family. Douglas and his siblings all attended North Side Elementary School and The Wheatley School. His friendly personality was evident in all the activities he was involved in: little league, scouts, tennis and theater, among others.

He spent his summers on the North Fork of Long Island sailing, swimming and fishing with many of his cousins and friends. This is a place that had been dear to his heart his entire life.

Doug started college in 1967 in Boston. His dream of acting was then in the works. Early on, he wondered if they could get the long name: B R A U T I G A M on an academy award envelope. After his sophomore year, he moved to Manhattan to intern at various theaters. He got his degree from BU in 1972. Side note: He lived across the street from the Electric Circus for nearly 18 years!

Daughter Lauren was born while he and Joy lived in the Village. Eventually, they moved to New Jersey. Doug founded Sovereign Marketing Research Co., while he and Joy continued pursuing acting and directing in off-Broadway theaters and then local theaters near East Brunswick. His last acting role was in ‘Cat on a Hot tin Roof.’ He was bummed he did not get cast for the Paul Newman role — I am sure he knew every line!

A memorial is being planned for this May on Eastern Long Island.

Art Engoron - Hanging out with a Lawyer Friend

L-R - D.D., Art Engoron

1968 - Shelley “Sheli Nan” Hershcopf

1969 - Jill Wattel Stockinger - “Dear Art, I want to chime in, perhaps a bit late, and say that my sister ( Karen Hope Wattel Arenson, 1966 ) and I lived in Levittown, Long Island, and I was one of two Jews in my class from first to sixth grade, at which point my family moved to Roslyn Heights. In Levittown, I never felt unwelcome due to my religion. I was consistently voted president or vice president of my class, each year I was there. My best friend, Derek Grace , was the person who alternated between pres. or vice pres. of the class, with me.

I also wanted to say that I was close friends with Dena (full name Aldena Zamoria Rosemond, 1969) , and I spent a Thanksgiving week with her and her family in Greenville, South Carolina, where I WAS spit on in a Woolworth’s by some old white lady for being with a group of black students. It was both shocking and funny at the time. Dena and I stayed in close touch through our first year of college, and then we lost touch with each other.

I had at least one friend who served in Vietnam and WAS definitely spit upon when he returned--and he later was ashamed for having gone, but, at the time, he thought it was his patriotic duty. At this point in his life, he laughs about that person’s reaction

Lastly, I had a Black boyfriend, Danny Jackson, from Roslyn, for approximately nine months. I met Danny at the 1968 Poor People’s March in Washington D.C; he was one of the marshals for the protest march. I believe I received extra credit from one of my teachers for going on the March! I remember once being harassed verbally in the girl’s room in school over my relationship to Danny. Others did not care if my boyfriend was Black or White or any color, and I am glad to say that they vocally supported me. Still, there was definitely some racism alive and well at Wheatley.

1970 - Nina Galerstein and Stephanie Cole Eason - Together Again

L-R - Stephanie Cole Eason and Nina Galerstein.

Nina Writes - “We hadn’t seen each other since the 11-Year Reunion of 1981. (I guess we couldn’t get it together to have a 10th!)”

1980 - Adam Goldstein - “ RIP George Marchelos (1979) . To the Marchelos family - I'm sorry for your loss. I looked up to George. He was a big presence to a guy one grade below. I had a Kawasaki 125, and he had a Harley! To my old friend Steve Marchelos (1980), a fixture on the 1979/80 Wheatley football team that went 5-3 and produced Wheatley's last winning record, I feel your loss deeply. It's a tough one.”

Fan Mail

1963 (Janet Dubin Ruyack) - ❤️

1963 (Elvira “Vivi” Cilmi Kunz) - “Thank you.”

1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth) - ❤️

1965 (Sharon Neely Halm) - “My favorite day of the week is when the Wheatley Newsletter arrives. Thanks, ART!!!” ❤️

1966 (Suzanne Stone) - “Thanks so much, Art, for your amazing dedication to our school - and for helping to promote the Class of 1966 60th-Year Reunion.”

1967 (Barbara Smith Stanisic) - ❤️

1969 (Jill Wattel Stockinger) - “Thank you for all the good work you do on the Newsletter.”

1972 (Susan French Congero) - ❤️

1972 (David Friedman) - “I appreciate all the time and effort you put into the Newsletter, and I look forward to each issue.”

1975 (Douglas Aibel) - ❤️

1978 (Julie King) - ❤️

1980 (Todd Cooper) - ❤️

1993 (Jodi Rhein Shapiro) - “Thank you for all you do connecting us Wheatley people! I absolutely love it!!!!”

???? (“AJ Whitehead”) - ❤️

Wishes to Remain Anonymous - “Art, I really enjoy reading the Newsletter and appreciate all the work that you do to put it together! The Newsletter is meaningful and enjoyable.”

The Usual Words of Wisdom

All underlined text is a link-to-a-link or a link-to-an-email-address. Clicking anywhere on underlined text, and then clicking on the text that pops up will get you to your on-line destination or will address an email.

Thanks to our fabulous Webmaster, Keith Aufhauser (Class of 1963), you can regale yourself with the first 255 Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletters (and much other Wheatley data and arcana) at our website:

The Wheatley School Alumni Association Website

Also thanks to Keith is our search engine, prominently displayed on our home page: type in a word or phrase and, wow!, you’ll find every place it exists in all previous Newsletters and other on-site material.

I edit all submissions, even material in quotes, for clarity and concision, without any indication thereof. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of what people tell me, as TWSAA does not have a New Yorker style fact-checking department.

We welcome any and all text and photos relevant to The Wheatley School, 11 Bacon Road, Old Westbury, NY 11568, and the people who administered, taught, worked, performed, and/or studied there. Art Engoron, Class of 1967

Closing

That’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 260. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary.