Occupation: I attended Colby-Sawyer College for Women in New Hampshire and studied in the medical secretarial science program, but I always loved journalism. When we were living in St Louis, Mo., after my three children were in school, I enrolled at Lindenwood Colleges in St Charles, Mo., getting a BS in English/journalism.

In 1977, we moved back to Newtown and I completed my degree studying journalism at Western Connecticut State University. Then I worked part time for The Newtown Bee for five years, from 1980 to 1985. I got interested in politics working with Julia Wasserman during two general sessions in Hartford, and I did freelance writing. In 1992, I worked as the editor for the Greater Danbury Business Digest.

More recently, I’ve worked for Forecast International, a firm on Commerce Road in Newtown. Then I worked at home as an independent contractor for an international technology company helping design and maintain their company intranet. Now I’m a general freelance writer.

How Long In Newtown: Before spending five years in St Louis, we lived in Newtown for a year and a half. Then when we moved back to Newtown in 1977, we lived in Hawleyville where we’ve been for the last 28 years. All the kids have gone through Newtown schools.

Biggest Change You Have Seen In Town: All the stores around here used to be Mom and Pop. There were no chain stores. I remember when I used to go to Read’s Department Store on Federal Road to shop, or to Hartford to Sage-Allen, or to White Plains. That was it. There wasn’t any other shopping. We had cows but we didn’t have retail.

Also, I’ve noticed the size and complexity of the houses has escalated. The big mansions just don’t look right here.

Family: My husband Rich has been involved in the greater Danbury community for a long time. He’s worked in Human Resources for Eaton Consolidated Controls in Bethel. Our daughter, Hilary, lives in Richmond, and is married to Stephen Hawley Martin. They have three children, Hawley, 12, Hannah Grace, 10, and Hans, 5.

Our son, Brian, is a medical student at the University of Rochester and he also has a degree and has worked in mechanical engineering. Our other son, Christopher, lives in Belmont, Mass., and is with a wholesale landscaping company.

Hobbies: We both love sailing, and we’ve had a Christmas tree farm since 1990 that we call Longview Tree Farm on Tunnel Road. We both enjoy seeing the people who come back year after year. I guess you could say I’m into customer relations, but Rich really does all the work.

Pets: We have the world’s greatest dog, a ten-year-old German shepherd named Jake. He’s very gentle.

Favorite Books: I have belonged to the Mayflower Book Club for about 12 years. We recently read Sea Biscuit, and I enjoyed reading a biography of John Adams.

Organizations: I was just elected chairman of the Republican Town Committee, and it’s a joy to be associated with this wonderful group of people. I plan to concentrate hard on this position. I am also on the Booth Library Board of Trustees, and both Rich and I belong to the Housatonic Boat Club, a social group based in Stratford. We attend the Walnut Hill Community Church, which is a growing experience.

Most Vivid Memory About Newtown: Shortly after we moved here I was going into Town Hall and mentioned that my daughter needed a white dress for a formal occasion at the University of Richmond, and the town clerk said, “I have a wonderful dress she can borrow.” It was Mae Schmidle, and as everyone knows Mae only wears red. It was unusual for her to even own a white dress. I thought to myself, “Now that’s the spirit of community that makes Newtown so special.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: Rich has relatives in Germany, and we’ve traveled there and to France, as well. We go to Virginia Beach to visit my daughter, and we used to go to Maine to a family-style resort.

Personal Philosophy: I know that God loves me and I make my decisions and live my life in the affirmation of His love. Why I know this is because He demonstrated it on the cross.