Occupation: I retired in June after ten years as technical advisor at Sage Services of Connecticut, Inc, a private, non-profit agency in New Haven. I served as an advisor for two programs I developed with a lot of help from others. One was a money ma
Occupation: I retired in June after ten years as technical advisor at Sage Services of Connecticut, Inc, a private, non-profit agency in New Haven. I served as an advisor for two programs I developed with a lot of help from others. One was a money management program, developed in 1989, in which volunteers are trained to help seniors 60 and over with bills and finance-related issues. The other was a court visitor program for people aged 55 and over that trained volunteers as conservators for seniors. Apparently there were a number of seniors who needed to be conserved. Our agency was asked by the Probate Court to establish a program for people with no families. The program has been extended to other cities. Prior to Sage Services, I was employed as therapeutic recreation director at Buckingham Gardens. I retired from there in 1983. I have a bachelorâs degree from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and a master of science degree from WestConn. My emphasis was adult education for the elderly.
How Long in Newtown: I have lived in Newtown for 44 years. When first married, we lived in an apartment in Bridgeport, then lived in Fairfield for eight years.
Biggest Change Seen in Town: The biggest change is in the growth of the community in housing and the size of the houses, but Newtown still has its small town feel.
Family: My husband, W. Nelson âSkipâ Roberts, and I have been married for 52 years. We have five children, Carol Tripp, who lives in California; Keith, in Southbury; Karen Lee Tirpak, in Florida; Constance, in Danbury; and Christopher, in California. We have five grandchildren and two step-grandchildren, Kimberly and Benjamin, in California; Sean Albee in Florida; Caroline and Matthew, in Southbury; John Tripp, in New Hampshire; and Joseph Tirpak, in Florida.
Hobbies: I am learning to do beadwork, my hoped-for future hobby. It takes a lot of patience. I like to keep up with the news. I also e-mail and exchange letters with family and friends all over the country. I have several collections, including elephants, angels, and pitchers. Some have been gifts and others are momentos of places weâve traveled. They bring back good memories. The pitchers are a practical collection. They can be used as vases, depending on their size. I also like to garden. I grow herbs and began using them in cooking. I enjoy flowers. Gardening is another form of nurturing.
Favorite Books and Authors: I like to read. One of my favorite authors is John Grisham. I particularly enjoyed The Firm. Grisham is for fun, but I also like to read more serious books that I read in small doses. I am currently reading about China in Million Truths by Linda Jacobsen, which is about people whose lives have been turned upside down by communism. Ayan Randâs Atlas Shrugged motivated me to join a church. I also enjoy historical mysteries.
Favorite TV Show: I donât have a great deal of time for TV so I like to relax and not get into heavy stuff on TV. I enjoy Good Morning America and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Organizations: I am a member of the Congregational Church of Newtown, a member of the board of Newtown Housing for the Elderly, Inc, president of Church Women United, and a member of the board of the Connecticut Coalition on Aging, Inc. I am also a member of Connecticut Interfaith Network on Aging, a state group that addresses aging issues, and of the American Association of University Women, Bridgeport branch.
Most Vivid Memory of Newtown: I have so many of them. One is people working together to accomplish something. Newtown gets top grades for this, for banding together. By getting involved you make wonderful friends. I also remember moving to Newtown, to the country, after growing up in Fairfield. The house wasnât finished, and there was more snow than we have had in years.
Favorite Vacation Spot: Our favorite spot for our family was Silver Bay, N.Y. on Lake George, where we went for a number of years. It was run by the YMCA. Weâve traveled a lot. We went to Australia, and we took our whole family, 19 of us then, to Hawaii on our 50th anniversary. In 1983 we went to the Holy Land, Greece, Jordan, Egypt and israel. I also went to China through a conference sponsored by AAUW. Through the Citizens Ambassador Program, we went to Chester, England, and then to London and Paris. When you travel, you meet fascinating people from all over the world. We also go to California and Florida to see our families. A new addition to our trips is Colorado.
Personal Philosophy: I pray a lot. You also need to be patient for the answer because we donât always know the effects of the prayers. It is important to live and let live, and not feel that you have to be in control of everything. You have to let God be in control.