Occupation: Right  now, I’m the director of operations for Golden Opportunities here in Sandy Hook. We try to improve the lives of residents [of elder care facilities], through visiting and programs that offer support. Prior to that, I worked for IBM for 32 years, as a program manager for our philanthropic organization. It was a unique job — giving away money!

Family: I’m married to Susan, and we just celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2014. We went to Hawaii to celebrate, where we had gone for our honeymoon. We have no children, but we have seven nieces and nephews, spread all over the US.

Pets: No pets right now. I’d like to get a dog some day, but that’s quite a commitment.

How long have you been in Newtown? I’ve been involved with Golden Opportunities since 2008. I started out being a visitor to an elderly woman at a nursing home. I’ve lived in Bethel for 26 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I like to golf. I snow ski, I play softball, and I play touch football at least once a year, which is a scholarship fundraiser in New Rochelle, in memory of my nephew, Mark Neiro, who died in an avalanche in Alaska while skiing. We like to go to concerts, and love music, and I’m a big reader.

What are you reading? I’m reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand right now. I was a little familiar with the story, and I’m enjoying the book. I just finished reading The Stuntman by Paul Brodeur, which was made into a movie in 1980. The movie never really took off, but I had always wanted to read it. It was really good, and really different. The writer had a lot of long sentences and long paragraphs. Once you got used to that, it was fine.

What kind of music do you like? We like rock and roll music. We bought into a lifetime XM Sirius subscription, years ago, and we’re kind of hooked on the rock station, The Underground Garage. I’d say my favorite band is probably The Beatles.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? The Caribbean. We like to be on beaches and in the sun. And we just came back from Italy. It was great. We went to the Cinque Terre region in the west. It’s five little towns built right near the water. It’s a beautiful spot, and I don’t think a lot of people know about it.

What is the best thing about Newtown? Well, I think I’d have to say Golden Opportunities. When I was a volunteer, I became friends with a whole host of people at the nursing center where I visited. We’re in the happiness business. We go in, and we try to make the people smile and laugh.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? It would be my mother, Matty Scott. The way she raised me was to be patient, compassionate, and respectful of other people’s feelings. One of the things I bring to the nursing homes is patience, and that has served me well in working with the elderly. My mother was very self-reliant, too. She passed a lot of that on to me.

Do you have a personal philosophy? To be kind to everyone, no matter who they are. Everyone deserves the same amount of respect and compassion.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Ice cream is my guilty pleasure. In Italy, there is a gelateria on every corner. Most make their own, in a myriad of flavors. Locally, I go to Holy Cow on Church Hill Road. I’m prone to order their coconut ice cream.