Occupation: I’m a Foreign Service officer, a commissioned federal officer, employed by the US Department of State in Washington. The Foreign Service is the diplomatic service of the United States, and provides the majority of the staffing for our diplomatic missions around the world as well as our domestic operations. Within the Foreign Service my primary qualifications are as a consular officer — the person you talk to when you lose your passport overseas and come to the embassy for assistance — but over the past several years I’ve spent more time in political-military and counterterrorism assignments. Before joining State I served for 26 years as a Naval officer, retiring in the grade of commander.

Family: Lisa Gingrich and I will celebrate our 21st anniversary this year.

Pets: Lisa is very active in canine rescue, and I try to support her whenever I can. Over the years we’ve adopted a number of dogs with special needs. The current herd includes Hooper, Brandy Jo, Benny, Winston, Smokey, and Daisy, all cocker spaniels.

How long have you lived in Newtown? My mother, Eleanor Waterhouse Thompson, was born in Newtown, in the farmhouse on the corner of Hundred Acres Road and Phyllis Lane. She moved to Old Greenwich when she married my dad in 1948. He was an architect in New York City, and I arrived the following year. As a little kid I loved visiting my grandparents, Blanche and Irvin Waterhouse, who ran a dairy farm here. In 1964, the year after my dad died, my mom and I moved back to Newtown and combined households with my grandmother, in the house she and my grandfather had retired to in Sandy Hook.

What do you like to do in your free time? I read — biography, history and current events — spend time with our dogs, and putter around the house. I also like to keep my hand in on the shooting range. If I had the time, I would sail in the summer, cross-country ski in the winter, and make a fool of myself on the tennis court year-round.

Do you have a favorite book or movie? Many favorite books, but probably first among equals is The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, followed closely by Falcons of France by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall —who later wrote Mutiny on the Bounty — and HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean. Many favorite movies, too, and much tougher to pick the top few: Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Miracle on 34th Street, The Philadelphia Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Charade, To Catch a Thief, A Bridge too Far, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Love, Actually are all right up there.

Do you have a favorite sports team? I love the New York football Giants, but living and working in Washington I also support the Redskins. My dad was a Yankees fan and so am I, but again, I like the Washington Nationals. The summer after high school, 1967, I worked on Cape Cod, and the Red Sox were making a pennant run — I’ve loved them ever since. And of course there’s the Rangers…

Do you have a favorite travel destination? Thanks to my profession, I’ve been privileged to travel to a lot of places most folks don’t get a chance to see. With a couple of exceptions, I’ve enjoyed them all. I suppose England and France are my favorite overseas destinations because there’s history around every bend, and because of the cultural richness. I served at Embassy Paris in 2000–2002. Here in the US, I’d have to say midcoast Maine is my favorite place to visit.

What is the best thing about Newtown? First and foremost is my family connection. I can trace roots in the town back to the early 1700s, and if I had the time to really get into it, I suspect even earlier. Today, Newtown is a dynamic place that is changing, but at the same time, changeless. It’s home.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My dad died before I got to know him, but I see in myself behaviors and attitudes I think I remember from him. My mother had polio as a young girl but lived a full and productive life despite her handicap, so I’ve been influenced by her perseverance, too. Lastly, the headmaster of South Kent School in the 60s, Wynne Wister, was a Christian gentleman of the old school who led by example — completely in control, but calm, even-handed, and kind.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Yes, in fact I have two: “All things splendid have been achieved by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance” from Bruce Fairchild Barton (1886–1967), co-founder and first president of the iconic New York advertising firm Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO), and “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense” by Winston Churchill (1874–1965), British politician, orator and author, and prime minister during World War II.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Of course, doesn’t everyone? Good friends. Good conversation. Good food. Good wine. Good coffee. Good books. Dark chocolate. Ben & Jerry’s Heath Bar Toffee Crunch ice cream.