The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 273The North Side Fire; Mark Bond; Scott Geery; Superintendent Darrell Lund; Betty O'Connor Bradley; Karen Bartscherer, David Isreal; John Kapinos; Helene Feiner; Paul Rosenfeld
Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons, Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 273 The North Side Fire Flares AgainMark Bond (1963) Writes - “What impressed me the most as I stood looking across Hillside Avenue at the front of North Side was how it closely resembled my poster depiction of a collapsed in, burned out shell of a building. However, I had not captured the image that has remained with me from long ago. All of the Greek Columns at the entrance were still standing, white against the emptiness and rubble behind them. They still make Schaefer ‘Snorkle” fountain pens. My wife bought me one after I told her the story of losing my prize in the fire.” Scott Geery (1967) Writes - “I grew up on Orchard Meadow Road. It meets Hillside Avenue (a/k/a East Williston Avenue) directly opposite the North Side front doors, so I had pretty near a front-row seat. Just a tidbit about the photo of Mark Bond (1963) accepting his first place award for his very creative poster.
AdministrationDarrell Lund - Superintendent (1979-1987) - Deceased
Darrell’s career spanned teaching, principalships, and superintendencies across several states, including Illinois, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Educated at Bridgewater State University, Rutgers University, and Northwestern University, he built a distinguished career in public education leadership and, in retirement, continued to serve as an interim superintendent and consultant. His work included district consolidation, facilities planning, administrative restructuring, superintendent searches, and program reviews. He endowed a scholarship at Bridgewater State University (Bridgewater, Massachusetts) that continues to help students pursue their dreams. Beyond education, he was active in community and international service, helping establish a foundation that supports a primary school in Tanzania, serving with organizations that support immigrants, and fostering educational exchange programs with schools in Shanghai. He also maintained a lifelong interest in English watercolors, both as a painter and as a collector. Betty O’Connor Bradley (Fabled North Side and Wheatley Teacher) once wrote as follows: “A special thanks to Dr. Darrell R. Lund for imbuing the faculty with the thought that good ideas originate from the teaching staff and it is the responsibility of administrators, the Superintendent, and the Board not only to support but to nurture them and approve them after studying each and every proposal from schools carefully and accepting or rejecting them. You were a breath of intellectual stimulation! By the way, you were the first Superintendent who majored in History and taught before you continued your administrative requirements to receive a Ph.D. I was so glad to be the President of the Teachers’ Association during your tenure. Yes, I know you demanded excellence and we, the faculty, defended our proposals and some you found fairly good, others were exceptional, and these proposals were put into practice. For that our faculty thanks you more than you will ever know — Now you do! Karen Bartscherer (Faculty) Writes - Darrell Lund influenced me significantly as I began my career, and I admired him tremendously. Eventually, I came to love and cherish him as an incomparable friend. My husband (David Israel (Faculty)) and I socialized with him often.
Graduates1958 - Edward Brown - “I am a member of The Wheatley School Class of 1958 – the FIRST class. We started in Mineola High as the Wheatley building was under construction. But then we were moved over to Wheatley to complete our Junior and Senior years. We were the class that set the school’s customs and traditions – the school colors, motto, “Wildcats” nickname, etc., and we set it on the road to becoming the number one public high school in the nation, which it remains to this day. You can probably tell by my Class year about how old I am now, but I am still ‘vertical and on the right side of the grass!’ After graduation, I spent the next 55 years working in/with/around/etc. the Department of Defense (now the Department of War). It was a great career – exciting, traveled around the world. The worst part of it was having to retire when the organization I was with said that I had ‘aged out.’ Over the years, I raised three great kids, all high achievers, who later married and gave me seven grandkids – also really fine individuals, for which I feel deeply blessed. I am now living as a “snowbird” – half the year in Florida and half the year outside of Boston (and you can figure out which half is where!!). I stay physically very active – running, biking, working out with a trainer – all seven days of the week.
I think about Wheatley from time to time, especially when I glance at my Wheatley diploma hanging on the wall in my office. And I sometimes look at my Wheatley yearbook and try to remember some of my classmates. I hardly ever get back up to Long Island anymore, but if any of my classmates would like to get in touch with me, I would really like that. My e-mail address is eabrown41@gmail.com . And so I will now close by saying (of course!) … GO WILDCATS!!! (… and as they used to call me) Little Eddie Brown 1962 - John Kapinos - American Dreamer John Writes - “Art, I recently published a book called ‘Achieving the American Dream,’ subtitled ‘A First Generation American… Story’ which is available on Amazon both in hard copy and digitally. I thought some of my classmates might be interested in reading it. I have moved around quite a bit over the years and am currently living in a unique Retirement Community called “Shell Point” in Fort Myers, Florida.”
1965 - Frank Corrado - “I read with some personal interest the posting concerning the production of ‘John Brown’s Body’ that took place in April, 1965. To say it brought back memories would be an understatement. What I hadn’t remembered, however, was that my last name was misspelled in the program. The scanned inclusion of said document in the posting clarified that dubious distinction. I don’t recall having had any intention of trying out or auditioning for the play back then, though I did harbor secret yearnings of being an actor when I wasn’t knocking balls around with bats or golf clubs or hallucinating that Tony Napoli would at long last throw me a touchdown pass in my undistinguished tenure on the Wheatley football team (he never did, of course, but at least I was spared the likelihood of dropping it.) What I do recall--or think I do--is that there was an assignment in Ms. Bodnar’s English Literature class in which we were required to perform a soliloquy from Shakespeare. I had attended Richard Burton’s Hamlet multiple times in 1964, when he played the role on Broadway, and I thought I had his cadences and intonations down pat, and with very little notice, and a good deal of bewilderment to those within earshot, would launch into a no-holds-barred imitation of the flamboyant Welshman for no particular reason at all. SO…when it was my turn to fulfill the Bodnaric assignment, I chose the “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” speech from Macbeth, unashamedly channeling Burton as I imagined he would have given it. Immediately upon completion of the dread task, and with no small measure of nervous sweat issuing from my pores, one of the Halper lads, Andy or Bob (1965), or possibly both, stormed towards me and informed me that I simply HAD TO BE in the upcoming play! ‘What play,’ I asked. ‘John Brown’s Body,’ he/they replied. ‘Never heard of it,’ I assured them. Which was a lie. I had the recording. ‘Well, you have to be in it!’ I had no idea what authority my esteemed colleagues possessed or what strings had to be pulled, but sure enough, I ended up appearing in the play and giving pseudo-Burtonian voice to an assortment of characters, none of whom I remember in the least, except that I chose to perform one as an Irishman just to do the accent--which I have no doubt was decidedly inauthentic. I occasionally wonder if I hadn’t given that speech in Miss Bodnar’s English class, and if I hadn’t been strong-armed by one or more Halpers, whether I would have enjoyed/endured a career in the American regional theatre that has spanned more than half a century and brought me into close proximity with some of the great plays and roles in the literature. Including Hamlet, albeit in my own voice. One thing I do know, however, is that I never have had my name misspelled again. Frank Corrado, Class of 1965 1967 and 1968 - Helen Feiner (1967) and a 1968 Graduate Helene (1967) Writes - “Hi, this was wild - I play mah jongg every Monday with a group of women that I’m getting to know better. One of the women and I really clicked. Long story short, it was Randy Danto - Wheatley 1968!! 1967 - Art Engoron - Interviewed on CBS News Art Engoron on CBS News (You will have to click and endure short advertisements) 1968 - Asoka Bandarage - Speech in Hamburg, Germany ASOKA BANDARAGE TALK IN HAMBURG 1969 - Paula Panzeca Foresto Writes - “My fellow 1969 Wheatley classmate and neighbor Gerry Gersh’s Friends World College experience going around the world was beyond incredible! You were a very brave soul, Gerry!” Paul Rosenfeld (1971) Writes - “Reading all these North Side fire stories brought to mind a song we sang as we exited 6th grade (1965). Looking back, it’s not a nice song, but I just remembered parts of it: Cheer boys cheer, the school is burning down, Cheer boys cheer, it’s burning to the ground, Old man Heroy (the principal) is slowly turning brown, It’s a hot time, in the old town, tonight.” 6th graders were such idiots! Critic Corner - Death of a Salesman LivesMartha Weissberg (1965) Wrote - “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 a recent Sunday 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 a recent NY 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 Engoron (1967) would have us believe.” Fan Mail1958 (Edward Brown) - “I enjoy reading the Wheatley Newsletter very much.” 1962 (John Kapinos) - “Thanks for keeping us up to date on our alumni and on happenings at Wheatley. Thanks again for all you do.” 1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️ 1965 (Jane Goldenberg Fire) - “Thank you to Arthur and everyone who contributes in any way to this always-a-source-of-joy-and-pride Newsletter. Best to All - Jane” 1965 (Sharon Neely Halm) - “My favorite day of the week is when the Wheatley Newsletter arrives. Thanks, ART!!! 1966 (Richard Jalonack) - “Art, whatever you say, I couldn’t have said it better. Keep on doing what you’re doing.” 1967 (Robert Bordiga) - ❤️ 1967 (Scott Geery) - “Yet another great issue, Artie. Thanks again.” 1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - “What a look back at ‘kids” from our ‘old’ school.” 1968 (Rebecca Consolo Freer Freedman) - ❤️ 1968 (Ilene “Cookie” Levine) - ❤️ 1968 (Carol Wisker) - ❤️ 1972 (Jean Kappes) - “Art, It is always inspiring and uplifting to hear about the Wheatley Alumni. I appreciate your efforts along with everyone else that contributes to this Newsletter. It’s been wonderful to connect and hear about all those Wheatley students who have become some really interesting and incredible people. Thank you for all you do!!” 1972 (Lori Waltzer Bernstein) - “Thank you for all of your hard work in keeping us Wildcats connected. I treasure each edition.” 1983 (Reese Wain) - “Thank you so much for pursuing this Wheatley
endeavor. 1996 (Joshua Effron) - ❤️ ???? (CLE) - “Wow! Newsletter Number 258 was a wonderful issue, with so many contributions taking us to parts unknown, both here and abroad, only to end up with Mrs. Brescia looking beautiful at the astonishing age of 106. Congratulations to Gene Razzetti, Francine Rosenberg, Gerald Gersh for sharing their personal stories. And to Denise Paine: well said and the proof is in the puddin’. I’d much rather read about the explorations, successes, failures, and life’s lessons (surviving Vietnam; a scorpion; Malaria; a 5-day coma?!) lived and endured by other Wheatley graduates than read regurgitations ad nauseum of the strained divisive dialogue assaulting us day by day in the media. This month’s (February) Newsletter was downright entertaining!” Non-Wheatley (MBDE) - ❤️ The Usual Words of WisdomAll 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 xxyyzz 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 ClosingThat’s it for The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 273. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary. Art |
