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The Wheatley
School Alumni Association Newsletter # 265
Wildcat
Band; Classical Music Concert; Board of Education President and Wheatley
Principal; Tim Jerome; Nancy Kurshan; Scott Gilmore; Gail Gimbel; Stacey
Engoron; Death of a Salesman
Dear Wheatley Wildcats
and Other Interested Persons, Welcome to the Wheatley
School Alumni Association Newsletter # 265 Wildcat Band to Play at Wheatley Reunion in Manhattan -
5/31/2026
The Wildcat band that
played at the Class of 1975’s reunion weekend last October wanted to keep the
fun going and give the New York area Wheatley community an opportunity to get
together. They will be playing at Silvana in Harlem on Sunday, May 31 (a week
after the Memorial Day weekend) at 8pm. Silvana has good food and is big
enough to accommodate plenty of Wheatley graduates and friends from all
classes. No cover, minimum, tickets or RSVP’s necessary. More details below.
Carnegie Hall Concert
Sheli Nan (Hershcopf) (1968) Writes
- Dear Wheatleyites - Meeting so
many of you March 21st at the marvelous home of Rich Weissman (1972) was a
joy. I was only sad that there were so few of my own 1968 classmates present.
I hope to see as many of you as possible at the June 5th Carnegie Hall
concert described below. I am excited that two of my works will be performed.
A ticketing link is provided. Note that complimentary tickets for friends,
family, and colleagues are also available. If you would like any,
email me for the details. Shelinan.muse@gmail.com Presented by PARMA Recordings
Ovidiu
Marinescu, Cello / Carl Cranmer, Piano
RESURGENCE VOL. 3: New Works for
Cello & Piano Friday, June 5, 2026,
8:00 PM, Weill Recital Hall RESURGENCE VOL. 3 reunites cellist Ovidiu Marinescu and
pianist Carl Cranmer in a collection of
emotionally rich, stylistically diverse works ranging from an atmospheric homage to Chopin
to works shaped by friendship, memory, and the natural world. The
performance showcases music’s power to evoke memory, resilience, and deep
human connection. Tickets start at $30 ($25 + $5 fee) Student and Senior
Discount Tickets Available at the Box Office Program
Works by James Chenevert,
Ferdinando DeSena, Warren Gooch, Ivar Lunde Jr., Sheli
Nan, Pierre Schroeder, and John Spence More on the Music and the Composers
Inside Story for RESURGENCE
VOL. 3: https://www.navonarecords.com/news/artist-roundtable-resurgence-vol-3/ Hope to see you soon! 🤗💥🎹💥❣️🎶❣️ Sheli Nan Composer Performer Teacher Author The American Prize
Administration - The Board of Education:
L-R - Pei-Sze
Cheng (Parent) of WNBC News; Mark Kamberg, President of the Board of
Education; Arthur Engoron (1967) Administration - Wheatley Principal
L-R - Art
Engoron (1967), Wayne Jensen (Wheatley Principal), Pei-Sze Cheng (Parent) Graduates
1961 - Tim Jerome - “Your review of DEATH OF A SALESMAN put me in mind of
another Arthur Miller play: THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND OTHER BUSINESS. As
it happens, I was in the original cast. I understudied two roles: God,
originally played by Hal Holbrook: and Lucifer, originally played by George
Grizzard. Here’s my story about that production. During a troubled
out-of-town tryout period, Arthur soured on the original director and had him
let go. We were in Boston, and since they didn’t have a replacement standing
by, Arthur stepped in. Basically, he just sat in the house and watched what
was going on, not saying anything helpful to his actors. Incidentally, that’s
where I was too… in the house… watching ‘my guys.’ Hal Holbrook was having
his troubles with the role. He made it clear that he had questions, but
Arthur didn’t – or couldn’t - give him any help. One afternoon, Hal
approached me and, knowing I was his understudy, he asked if I had any ideas
about how the part should be played. This was, to say the
least, unusual. It really isn’t normally ‘done.’ But I said I did have a few
ideas, and so we went to dinner together – in a quiet restaurant around the
corner – and I told him what I thought. He liked it, and at the evening
rehearsal (we hadn’t opened yet), he was full of energy, and when he asked
Arthur what he thought… because he’d made some adjustments in his motivation
and the subtextual readings of some of his lines, he proudly mentioned that I
had given him some great ideas to work with over dinner. Arthur slowly turned
around and gave me a sour look. He didn’t reassure Hal. He didn’t say
ANYTHING. Hal gave his notice a few
days later … and Stephen Elliot took over. The show opened at the Shubert on
November 30,1972 and closed December 17th. Miller reworked the play into a
musical.” 1961 - Nancy Kurshan Writes - “Hey Wheatley Folks, I wrote a memoir, ‘Levitating the
Pentagon, and Other Uplifting Stories.’ You can order it from Amazon or any
independent bookstore you prefer. Nancy Kurshan Levitates the Pentagon
1968 - Asoka Bandarage -
Interview - “War & Food Crisis: Is Sri Lanka Prepared?” 1973 - Scott Gilmore and Gail
Gimbel - Fancy Meeting You Here
L-R - Scott
Gilmore and Gail Gimbel (both 1973) Gail Writes - Running into Original Country Clubbers and elementary
school classmates from the Willets Road School is so much fun. The famous
Gilmore identical twins, David and Scott, were one of eight sets of twins
from Wheatley’s 1973 graduating class. Scott and I attended a Bar Mitzvah on
Sunday, April 12, 2026. When I ran into Scott, I had a 50-50 chance to
recognize which identical twin he was! Great memories. Smiles and laughter.
Hey, and we both still live on Long Island!! Cheers to life! 2007 - Stacey Engoron - Niece and
Uncle
L-R - Stacey
Engoron (2007) and Arthur Engoron (1967) at the Offices of Phillips Nizer,
485 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, April 16, 2026 Critics Corner (Submissions Welcome)
Martha Weissberg (1965) Writes - “As difficult as it is to keep watching Willy Loman’s
self-deceptions, plenty of us remain moved by just how dangerous those
deceptions are. I remember being introduced to the play by Mrs. Meisel or
perhaps Mrs. Kennedy in eleventh grade and the conversation that ensued after
our reading of Miller’s “Tragedy and the Common Man,” an essay to which Helen
Shaw in last Sunday’s Times alludes in her fine response to the new
production of the play. We were encouraged during that long ago discussion to
consider (or reject) the universality of Willy’s predicament. Coincidentally,
in today’s Times, Eric Alterman recalls sitting next to his father, who wept
throughout a 1975 production of the play and confesses to his own tears during
a 2012 performance: “From its opening night in February 1949 to the current
and ecstatically reviewed revival, ‘Salesman’ has been a play that cracks the
steeliest of men and women.” (NYTimes, 4/15/2026) Miller’s plays refer to
the conflicts of his era, “our” era for the oldest of the Wheatley alumni,
but are not as deadly dated as Art would have us believe.” Arthur Engoron (1967) Responds - I appreciate Martha’s deep dive into “Death of a
Salesman.” My only quibble is with her last five words. I tried to make clear
(and probably I should have tried harder) that I wasn’t trying to make anyone
“believe” anything (“I would not tell you not to see it”); rather, I was
simply relating my subjective experience of this long production, of an old,
predictable chestnut, on short notice, at the end of a workday, from the
vantage point of a less-than-ideal seat. MBD (non-Wheatley) Writes - “You wrote your review of Death of a
Salesman in a personal, almost conversational, voice, which
made it lively and pleasant to read. Most critics remain more distant. But by staying at the
level of personal impression, you miss out on a broader perspective. For
example, the fact that the ending of Death of a Salesman is known seems to
me less a limitation than a choice inherent in tragedy. From Arthur Miller to
Willy Loman, what is interesting is more the way Willy’s collapse is
constructed than in its inevitable conclusion. What you describe as
“repetition” is actually “variation” of the same illusions, which is the
heart of the play. There may have been something there worth exploring
further. The idea that the work
may seem less striking today than at the time of its creation should have
been developed further: does it come from the text, from the staging, or from
the evolution of our perspective? The more biographical
elements (Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Nathan Lane) added a personal touch,
but perhaps took up a bit too much space compared to the analysis of the play
itself. Finally, the exchange
with Martha Weissberg is interesting: she opens up the reflection by placing
the play within a broader perspective. Your response, by returning to your
personal experience, is consistent with your approach, but leaves less room
for discussion. To summarize, your review
was sincere and pleasant to read, with a real voice. However, it would have
been stronger had you developed certain concepts further, and had your
analysis gone deeper. Arthur Engoron (1967) Responds - The repetition/variation robs the play of some surprise
and suspense; everything moves in one direction; but it hammers home the
point, which one A.I source describes as follows: The moral of Arthur Miller’s Death
of a Salesman is that a life built on illusions, superficial popularity, and
the shallow pursuit of material wealth—rather than personal integrity and
genuine passion—leads to tragedy and unhappiness. The play serves as a
critique of a distorted American Dream, suggesting that defining
one’s worth solely by financial success or being “well-liked” is destructive
to both the individual and their family. Finally, I think that
‘Death of a Salesman’ came at a crucial inflection point. Pre-World War II,
especially during the Great Depression, the classic American struggle was for
a middle-class life. Post-World War II, the classic American struggle became
what to do with that life. Many people are still struggling with one or the
other. Fan Mail
1960 (Madeline Ardell Bloom) - ❤️ 1960 (Joanne Festa) - ❤️ 1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️ 1967 (Robert Bordiga) - ❤️ 1968 (Lois Hegyi Goldstein) - ❤️ 1973 (Jodi Levine Kornblath) - “Thank you so much for all that you continue to do with
this daunting task of keeping us informed. It’s quite something and very
appreciated.” 1975 (Patrice Maller) - “Thank you for the Newsletter.” 1975 (Wendy Shapiro) - “Thanks for all you do, Art.” ???? (AJ Whitehead) - ❤️ Non-Wheatley (MBD) -
“Congratulations on these Newsletters. As an “Other Interested Person,” I’m
always delighted to read them. Thank you.” ❤️ 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 264 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 # 265. Please send me your autobiography before
someone else sends me your obituary. Art
Arthur Fredericks Engoron, Class of 1967 |
