Occupation: I taught biology for 30 years or so, mostly at Housatonic Community College.

I have a BS in biology from Northern Arizona University, an MS in ecology from Syracuse University, and an MS in parasitology from the University of Bridgeport.

Now I lead hiking groups out West in Arizona and Utah and in the Northeast, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Adirondacks.

I’m a volunteer naturalist for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), and I give slide shows of the trips I take.

Organizations: Appalachian Long Distance Hikers; American Society of Crows and Ravens; Audubon Society; Appalachian Mountain Club; Adirondack Mountain Club; Sierra Club; Highpointers Club, where we hike to the highest point in every state –– I’ve done the lower 48; Appalachian Trail Conference; Connecticut Ornithological Association; and New Haven Bird Club.

I’m really a birder at heart. About the crows and ravens, they’ve really gotten some bad press. They are very beneficial scavengers, along with the blue jays, and you should see the ravens when they put on their flight display. Unfortunately, there aren’t many ravens in Connecticut.

Family: Just my wife Pattie and myself. We are childfree. We hang out with our nephews a lot.

Pets: None really, although now we consider the Carolina wrens nesting on our porch as our current pets.

Favorite Vacations Spots: I like hiking in Arizona and Utah and the Northeast, and we have done so many times. We just spent two weeks in Switzerland hiking, and would like to go back.

Pattie and I hope to visit Tuscany, Italy, and Hawaii within the next year or so.

Hobbies: I’m usually reading a couple of books. Hiking, tennis, rowing, and bird watching keep me busy. I play basketball at the health club during the fall, winter, and spring.

Favorite Authors: I read mostly nonfiction. John McPhee, Jon Krakauer, Steven Ambrose, Steven Jay Gould.

I’m reading about the Eiger, in Wengen, Switzerland, right now because I was just there. That’s the mountain with the incredible north wall, where climbers frequently go up but can’t get down again. One climber was trapped on the wall for more than a year.

How Long In Newtown: I’ve lived here since 1968. I had a job in Stratford and wanted to rent a place outside of the Bridgeport-Stratford area. We drove up Route 25 to the flagpole, went into Chase Realty, and they rented us a furnished home on Cedar Hill Road.

Since then we’ve lived on West Street and alongside Taunton Lake.

Most Vivid Memory of Newtown: The people I have met here. They’re great. Some are very unique. Also taking walks through Fairfield Hills, and being involved in tennis –– teaching it and playing in the tournaments.

Biggest Change: When we moved here, there was a resident state trooper. Now we have 40 or so police officers.

There are fewer hay and cornfields and more houses.

Philosophy: Wasn’t it Dylan Thomas who wrote, “I shall not go quietly into that long goodnight?”

I think he wrote that after sitting by his father’s bedside as he lay dying.

Try to get the most out of life. Have fun every day, and try to put some fun into other people’s lives, as well.

Snapshot––July 25

Leon Barkman