Occupation: I work with computers and am a software developer for an insurance company in Farmington. I am fortunate to be able to do a portion of my work at home, which cuts down on the commute.

How Long In Newtown: I grew up in Upper Manhattan and went to a very large high school where we had triple sessions. We couldn’t even have a senior prom because there were 900 in my class and it would have been impossible to manage. But school was never dull. There was always something happening, and I loved living in the city and became very independent. When my wife (who is from Lakewood, N.J.) and I decided to get married, we first lived in an apartment in South Norwalk. This was convenient to her teaching job in Wilton, and I was working in Wilton also. When we started to look for a house, the realtor suggested Newtown and right away we found something. That was in 1971, and we’ve never regretted moving here. Newtown is wonderfully located with access to major roads, and the people we’ve met have been the best. But what a contrast Newtown in 1971 was to New York City!

Biggest Change You Have Seen In Town: One good example of Newtown’s increased population is this: When our local school soccer club had its first meeting in 1972, we had 30 people. Now the club numbers close to 2,000.

Family: My wife, Inna, was a teacher in the Wilton Public School System for more than 30 years and retired two years ago. Last fall she was asked to sub in the Newtown schools, and she has ended up teaching Spanish full time to finish the year. We have a grown son, Alex Fedorov, who graduated from Newtown High with the Class of 1998 and went to Northeastern in Boston, majoring in art. Now he’s become quite the city person –– just like I used to be –– and he has traveled to Spain and Italy. Things go full circle.

Hobbies: I like to jog and play tennis because exercise keeps you healthy.

Favorite Books, Music, Movies: I read Tom Clancy and I enjoy listening to all styles of music. I am a fan of WMNR classical music station in Monroe, and we always support their fundraisers. When my mom lived here — we were able to move her out of New York City— she always read The Bee. Now we’ve taken over her subscription. On TV, I like the cable movie channels like Sundance and the Independent Film Channel.

Organizations: We belong to the International Club of Newtown, where I am treasurer and Inna is secretary. We enjoy it because our events are usually centered around food. There are about 80 members and we meet once a month at someone’s house –– or we rent someplace –– and there is often a theme. We have many American-born members, but there is usually a spouse who is from another country or is fluent in another language.

Most Vivid Memory About Newtown: When I was a kid, I always went to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Even though it’s smaller in scale, the Newtown Labor Day Parade reminds me of that. It’s a connection to the local community. We enjoyed watching our son marching with his karate club and then the Boy Scouts.

Personal Philosophy: Life should be a combination of work and enjoyment. I think you need the two. A person needs discipline and purpose in his or her life. As we get older, our goals are more short term, because we realize how unpredictable life is. We take it as it comes.