|
|
The Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 274Walter Wendell(?); Darrell Lund; Bob Freiman; Maya Sabot; Gene Razzetti; Bob Halper; Barbara Ashley; Mara Danziger; Candy Maller; Charlie Nash; Bill Meyn; Lisa Weizenegger; Rob Walzer; Richard Goodman
Dear Wheatley Wildcats and Other Interested Persons, Welcome to the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter # 274, The North Side Inferno
AdministrationDarrell Lund - Superintendent (1979-1987) - Deceased
Darrell understood children and the basic concept that great education comes from inspiration, from the spark that evolves in the classroom among the teachers and those growing, impressionable people. All of the elements of the school district needed to be organized to support that function. Darrell was a visionary and an excellent communicator with high standards, a well-developed educational philosophy, a sympathetic but strong leadership style, and a good heart. He saw his role as Superintendent as encouraging principals and teachers to support each other and to take risks, that he would protect them against well-intended failures, so that kids could learn and grow, and that he would educate the Board and the community to provide the financial support and commitment to the schools that were the elements needed to support the kids. I was so sorry when he left the District and moved on to other challenges. I suspect most of our generation did not know of Darrell Lund, but he was an important presence at the time of his tenure. I had not communicated with Darrell in recent years, but he inspired me and lives in my heart. He will be missed. Thanks so much, Art. Best, Bob” Maya Sabot Paveza (1988) Writes - “Art, I was a student representative to the Board of Education during Dr. Darrell Lund’s last year as Superintendent. He was inspiring, warm, thoughtful, and very focused. He did the district so much good. I wish the best for his spouse (John) and his family, and I thank them for sharing Dr. Lund with us all. Graduates1961 - Gene Razzetti - “Art, I thoroughly enjoyed Frank Corrado’s (1965) reference to our common (but highly uncommon) 12th grade English teacher. Miss Elsie E. Bodnar. While my earlier English teachers (Mr. North, Mr. Heubsch, Mr. Storm/Mrs. Meisel) were great, Miss Bodnar took high school English to a yet undiscovered level of elegance and sophistication. The ‘extras’ that I remember doing in her class included: (1) writing a poem and reciting it aloud; (2) Memorizing and reciting a good poem (written by a real poet) aloud; (3) reading/playing a part in a scene from ‘Macbeth’ in the classroom; and (4) actually sitting at her desk and explaining the meaning of a ‘Macbeth’ scene to the class. Dedicated, industrious, and hard-working, 3:00 PM for us often came at 8:00 PM for her. Best to all, Gene.” 1965 - Bob Halper Writes - Inspired by Frank Corrado’s (1965) story in the most recent Newsletter: Thanks for the memories, Frank. I don’t remember encouraging you to audition for “John Brown’s Body,” so it was probably my twin brother, Andy Halper (1965). I do remember, however, Ms. Bodnar’s assignment to pick a Shakespearean soliloquy to recite—with feeling—for the entire class. I did not, as you did, select a classic, opting instead for the Drunken Porter Speech (also from Macbeth). While less well-known than the ‘...tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...’ speech, it nevertheless has substance and a measure of personal relevance. I chose it because I could relate to the porter’s condition, and because I knew I could play it for laughs. My final two years of high school were spent with schoolmates for whom weekends consisted of attending wild unsupervised parties in Roslyn and Great Neck. I’m sure some of you reading this were there as well. With parents away on vacation and no activities off limits, these affairs were a bacchanalian revel. Although underage at the time, refreshments were purchased for us by irresponsible adults loitering in front of local liquor establishments. Often imbibing myself beyond a sensible norm, the speech spoke to me. Besides, I knew no one else would choose it, eliminating any possibility of negative comparisons. My performance—as I choose to recall—was well-received and the laughs gratifying. Only a decent student, socially awkward at times, and a mediocre athlete (although I had heart), humor was my meal ticket throughout the trials and tribulations of high school. Sorry that you missed our 60th-year reunion last October. It would have been good to say hello after all these years. Reunions are not about seeing the classmates you’ve stayed in touch with, but seeing those with whom you haven’t. For those unfamiliar with the drunken porter speech I will end with my friend Chat’s summation: The famous drunken porter speech appears in Macbeth, specifically in Act 2, Scene 3. The scene comes immediately after Macbeth has murdered King Duncan. A porter, apparently hungover and imagining himself the gatekeeper of hell, answers persistent knocking at the castle gate. His comic monologue includes jokes about drink, sin, and damnation. The speech is notable because:
The opening of the speech begins: “Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.” This scene is often called the Porter Scene and is one of the most discussed examples of comic relief in Shakespearean tragedy. 1965 and 1967 - Barbara Ashley and Mara Danziger Robinson - Small World
1967 + 1981 - Art Engoron and Rob Walzer
1969 - John DeGroat - Found on Facebook
Candy Writes - “I was 12-years-old when my family relocated from Bayside, Queens to East Williston. As you can imagine, the transition to a new location and school at that age was dramatic. Fortunately, for whatever reason, Lisa Weizenegger took pity on me and showed me the ropes. I have an endless array of stories and memories of our adventures at Wheatley and beyond.” 1972 - Charlie Nash Writes - “I just ran into Marc Geller Class of 1972 at our 50th-Year Class Reunion at Grinnell College. I believe that four of us Wheatley ‘72 graduates attended Grinnell College. It was a great experience!” 1974 - Bill Meyn - “I cannot top the notion of standing inside a laser (1958 - Edward Brown). That is way cool! In a low tech comparison, I have stood inside an 18 foot tall rotating class 1 Fresnel lens while it was in operation at Point Conception Lighthouse. https://sbmm.org/point-conception-lighthouse-first-order-fresnel-lens/ The link has a short time-lapse video of the restoration and rebuilding of this lens in a Santa Barbara museum (scroll down a bit). Working in support of West Coast lighthouses early in my Coast Guard career made up for some of the drudgery of doing office-bound planning work late in my career.” 1988 - Maya Sabot Paveza - “Recently, a few of us from the Class of 1988 met on Zoom to discuss planning for our 40th-year reunion in 2028. Myself, Soraya Mosleh Brooks, Amy Levine, and David Polonet were able to attend. Amy Warman Kates and David Mahaffey were unable to attend but are also involved. We are looking at possible locations in Manhattan for April 2028. Ideally, a restaurant with a private room for a cocktail and light fare style event. We are also looking to reconnect with some of the classmates who may not receive your wonderful alumni Newsletters. Other members of the class have been on other calls, and we have a rough committee set up. We have a Facebook group for the Class of 1988, and I would be happy to hear from anyone who is interested; my email address is MAYA311@GMAIL.COM. If anyone is crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge, my office is between the roadways on the Delaware side, at the ‘Delaware River and Bay Authority’ offices. Happy to greet anyone who wishes to drop by. I have a view of the Northbound roadway facing Veteran’s Memorial Park from my office. I am the Digital Content Manager for the Authority in the Communications & Marketing Department, and I love my job. We have the Bridge, five airports in Delaware and New Jersey, and the Cape May - Lewes Ferry. We are preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first bridge span, and I was honored to have designed the logo for the event, which will be held on August 12, 2026.
If anyone is in Cape May or Lewes and would like to take the Ferry. I am happy to share a “friends and family” discount with my Wheatley family. Attached is a photo of me on top of the bridge with my Intern, Sloane, last year,
WildCat Pet GalleryZelda is Richard Goodman’s (1963) six-year-old, 90 pound German Shepherd
Fan Mail1962 (Robert Freiman) - “I much appreciate what you do in keeping the Wheatley community alive for all of us and keeping us abreast of the joys and sorrows we are all experiencing. The Newsletters enable me and others to revisit some very meaningful times in our lives and to interact with the complex emotions they evoke.” 1964 (Natalie Cobb Wentworth) - ❤️ 1964 (Richard Ilsley) - ❤️ 1964 (Davida Tunis Philips) - ❤️ 1965 (Frank Corrado) - ❤️ 1967 (Jill Simon Forte) - “Another fun read.” 1968 (Ilene “Cookie” Levine) - ❤️ 1970 (Jane Madison) - “Thanks for all you do.” 1970 (Candice Sherman, a.k.a. Candy Maller) - “Thank you for all that you do to maintain the Newsletter and coordinate communication. We all appreciate all that you do.” 1972 (Jeffrey Kargman) - ❤️ 1980 (Elissa Heil) - ❤️ 1987 (Joseph Fina) - “Thank you for doing this for us.” 1988 (Maya Sabot Paveza) - “Thanks so much!! I truly enjoy your updates.” 1996 (Joshua Effron) - ❤️ 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 # 274. Please send me your autobiography before someone else sends me your obituary. Art
|
