Occupation: I am a regional vice president for Primerica Financial Services.

Family: My wife, Peggy, and I have five children. Tom still lives in Newtown and works for Caraluzzi’s; Katie is a teacher in Ridgefield; Tim and KC have a construction company in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Suzie works for an architectural firm in Florida.

Pets: My son Tom has a golden retriever named Sonia, and Katie has a rescue dog which spends about half of its life at our house. She’s a chow/collie mix named Roxie.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved to Newtown in 1966. We lived in Sandy Hook for about nine years, and then moved to Grand Place. Our neighborhood used to put a float in the parade every year — “It’s A Grand Place To Live.” And we would have a neighborhood barbeque every summer.

What do you like to do in your free time? I like to travel. We’ve been to all 50 states. I’m a big baseball fan, too, and I collect baseball memorabilia. I read a lot, too.

Do you have a favorite sports team? It would have to be the Yankees. Isn’t everyone a Yankee fan? And I love to watch the UConn Women’s Basketball team.

Do you have a favorite author? My favorite author would be Rudyard Kipling. His poetry is magnificent. It really captures the spirit of the British soldier. I do like to read history books, and sports books, too, mainly about baseball.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? We try to get out to see the boys in Salt Lake City every year, and spend time with my daughter in Florida. We’ve probably been to 30 national parks, and every one is beautiful in its own way. Yosemite is one of my favorites.

What is your favorite Newtown memory? The Labor Day Parade. It used to be called the Progress Festival Parade a long time ago, and then it was part of the Summer Festival. There was a carnival where the Big Y plaza is now, and fireworks on the Fourth of July in Dickinson Park, and I remember one year there was a townwide picnic, and the whole town was at Dickinson for the day. And there was always a parade. During the Bicentennial year, we buried a time capsule behind the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, but it wasn’t marked. Then there was the shootout in Sandy Hook in 1975. I remember coming off of I-84 — only parts of it were completed when we moved here — and there were two state troopers with shot guns on their hips stationed there. Word had gotten out hat a Hell’s Angel guy had been shot and the troopers were there to make sure no other Hell’s Angels got into town.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people. Although we’ve probably doubled-plus in population since I’ve been here, it’s still a small town. When we moved here, I joined the Jaycees. There were 15 guys and 20 committees and I thought, they’ve got their thumbs in too many pies. But you know, they got it all done.

Do you have a personal philosophy? On a spiritual level, I believe prayer works. God takes care of His children. On a temporal level, I think you should always be optimistic, but question everything.

Do you have a hero? My wife. She is the most caring and giving person on the planet. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like my wife.