Occupation: I am a retired army chaplain and I am finishing my doctorate of ministry at Erskine Theological Seminary.

Family: I have a wife, Gail, and a 27-year-old son who lives in D.C.

Pets: We have a dog, named Bella.

How long have you lived in Newtown? I moved up here from Palm Beach County, Fla., and so my wife and I have lived in Sandy Hook for six years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I go to the gym. I have a pretty serious regimen there. If you were in the military like me, throwing on a thirty five pound vest with another thirty pounds on your back, jumping out of helicopters and airplanes, you have to go to the gym when you retire. If you don’t exercise those muscles, they get weak and you end up with issues.

What is your favorite book? Well, the Bible, of course. I also like leadership books, like John Maxwell’s. He’s a great author, and one of the top writers of leadership books out there. He also was a pastor for a number of years in a large church. I went to a very large church down there and he was at that campus, so he would teach occasionally. Of course, I’m doing doctoral stuff at this time, so it’s rare that I get to read for enjoyment.

What organizations are you part of in Newtown? I’m really not part of any, to be honest. For me, I’m just doing what I do. If I did belong to any, it would be a veteran organization like the VFW. I’m looking to explore those places at some point. I go to the VA in West Haven and I help take care of veterans. I also help people online, on Facebook. When you’re a chaplain, your job is to help people, and I don’t think you ever really lose that role. When you get out of the army, you don’t get out of the ministry, because that’s what you’re called to do.

Who or what has been the greatest influence in your life? God through Christ, of course. Aside from that, my mother. She was a single mother most of my life, and a tenth grade dropout. She made poor decisions, but she pulled herself up. We never had a lot of money, and she rented every place we ever lived, but she rented in the best school district in the area. So, we didn’t have the house, we didn’t have their cars, we didn’t have their clothes, we had their education. My mother did not allow us to speak improperly, which I hated at first. I graduated high school with a 1.7 grade point average, but I knew how to speak. Because I knew how to speak, I could write, and so when I went into the military right out of high school, within six months I was in charge of a nuclear missile inventory report. My mother was very resourceful, she was quite a woman who tore books apart and later went to nursing school.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? If Ronald Reagan was still alive, I would love to meet and spend the day with him. Absent that, another strong, positive, real dynamic leader. I like leaders who make decisions, stick with their decisions, back them up whether you agree with them or not, and point to why they made their decision.

Who is your favorite musical artist? I am a huge ballad guy. I like the old classics. I like Dan Hill, I like Styx, even some Barry Manilow. I like The Carpenters. I can track my life through that music; I know exactly where I was when a song came out.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Take time to enjoy life. I don’t remember who told me, but the older I get the more I realize it. John Maxwell once said, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. It goes by faster and faster the closer you get to the end.”

What is something you cannot live without? Coffee.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment is my education.

What is a meal/recipe your family has passed down to you? We grew up very poor, so we had all these casseroles my mom used to make. One was tuna noodle casserole. She made it with tuna, noodles, Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, and she always put the french onion stuff on top. She’d bake it. She made a chicken and rice dish, too. She’d get the whole chicken and boil it, and put it with rice and rosemary. It is really good.

What is a tradition your family does that is important to you? Christmas is always big. Gail and I enjoy doing birthdays. We do enjoy going to the movies, even though she likes a completely different genre than I do. And we enjoy doing the honey-baked ham at Thanksgiving together.

What is your favorite travel destination? I love the Caribbean. The Bahamas was great. When I was in Florida, it was just a hop, skip and a jump. Bermuda was great. I went to Belize once, that was really nice, too.