Occupations: Harvey: With a background in research and development, I’m now starting my third career. I started the World Help Foundation ten years ago, dedicated to preserving safe drinking water throughout the world. We’ve expanded the concept to include sanitation and waste disposal issues that ultimately effect the quality of our ground water. I have a local office but my primary workplace is in Ghana, where I’ve gone five times already. I’m now in the process of resigning as president and taking on the CEO position of Water For Life, our water purification company.

Calla: I am a retired schoolteacher, having worked 20 years in Newtown schools –– first at Sandy Hook, then at Middle Gate.

How Long In Newtown: We’ve been married 38 years and we have lived in Newtown for 36 years. We’re both from Birmingham, Mich., and we met in high school. We live on Scudder Road and we have wonderful neighbors.

Changes We Have Seen And Hope To See: We are proud that Newtown has saved so much of its historic character. The Meeting House, for example, could have gone out of existence a few years back when the Congregational Church moved out of it, but the Historic Preservation Trust stepped in and now we have a wonderful facility the whole town can use. I feel we have the same opportunity now at Fairfield Hills (Harvey). Someone or some group could step forward to create a community cultural center where town groups such as the Lions, or Rotary, or the Rocking Roosters could meet. It is expensive to rent the Fireside Inn or the Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall. And we need an expanded Senior Center that could serve as a multiuse facility –– space for the seniors during the day and space for community groups and town clubs during the evenings. You should see the community center in Milford; it’s a model we should consider. Here’s another idea, how about using the entire Fairfield Hills campus for an Olympic training facility.

Family: We have one daughter named Cathleen who went through Newtown schools. Now, she is a doctor at the Duke Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Our son-in-law is a Methodist minister and we have two grandsons, ages 8 and 5. We are very proud of them.

Hobbies: For 12 years, we have been members of the Rocking Roosters Square Dance Club that was founded 43 years ago. Caller Bob Paris is still calling and the club is very active. We’re in the Labor Day Parade, we’ve danced in New York City, and we go to the Big E as well as other towns’ parades. It’s lots of fun and terrific exercise. Three hours of dancing equals the aerobic equivalent of walking three miles. There are about 36 of us, and we meet the first and third Friday at Edmond Town Hall. We take lessons every Wednesday in the mall at Sand Hill Plaza. It’s Western square dancing that is standardized around the world –– for example, in Japan they do all the calls in English. Anyone interested in joining should call 426-6548.

Pets: Our cat, Nicky, is typical of all the cats we’ve owned because they all have huge tails.

Favorite Authors, Theater: Calla likes Dan Brown and Harvey likes Tom Clancy. We both love the theater, and we have season tickets to the Schubert Theater in New Haven.

Organizations: We both belong to Rocking Roosters Square Dance Club (see above) and the United Methodist Church of Newtown. Harvey is secretary of the Heritage Preservation Trust, and Calla belongs to Girl Scouts, the Western Connecticut Chapter of American Red Cross, and the Board of Directors of the Newtown Woman’s Club (GFWC).

Vivid Newtown Memories: Calla remembers the huge flag that people carried down Main Street during the 2001 Labor Day Parade. Harvey especially likes watching the parade and hearing the Mattatuck Drum Corps play that ancient music that has been around since the 1760s.

Favorite Vacation Spots: We spent a month in Australia, and we have been to South Africa twice. We love the unique animals that we see on other continents.

Personal Philosophies: Calla: You have to laugh at something every day, and don’t take things too seriously. When I was teaching I was a good disciplinarian but I tried to show the kids that it’s OK to make mistakes, too.

Harvey: On an absolute scale, we are among the most fortunate people on this earth. I try to give back a little bit of the bounty that we have received.