How Long In Newtown: My husband Bela and I have lived in Newtown for 16 years.

He is from Hungary, and he was a refugee during the 1956 Hungarian uprising. He came to England, and we met at Manchester University. In 1964, we came over to Cambridge, Mass., where he got a postdoctorate degree in chemistry at MIT

Then we moved to New York for a few years while he was working in Tarrytown. We lived in Mahopac, N.Y.

When we first came to America, we thought we’d only stay a year or so. One year became two, two years became three, and now we’ve been here nearly 40 years.

Biggest Change You Have Seen In Town: I am so glad that Lovell’s garage is gone and The Pleasance is there. We need more people in this town who care about what their property looks like.

 

Family: My husband Bela joined Union Carbide in 1966. About the same time we moved to Newtown, which was 1987, the company sent some of the executives to Japan, so we have traveled a lot.

Now he’s with GE and though he was thinking about retiring, now he’s working harder than ever.

Our sons are Alex, who is married and has two sons and lives in Indiana, and Stephen, who is married with no children and lives in Mt Kisco, N.Y.

 

Pets: All the wildlife we have around this house –– they are my pets. We have deer, a flock of turkeys, squirrels, hummingbirds, chipmunks, chickadees, you name it.

My neighbor’s rabbit has gotten loose and is always coming over, as well.

 

Hobbies: Gardening, golf, and skiing. We have a place in Stratton, Vt., and I have hiked bits of the Appalachian Trail. We’ve gone skiing with the Over The Hill Gang, and done whitewater rafting in British Columbia. That was thrilling and exciting because we did 22 miles of Class V rapids. It was unbelievable. I didn’t have time to be frightened.

In the winter, we go down to the Metropolitan Opera once a month. It’s one of the benefits of living near New York City.

Favorite Book, Author: I liked The DeVinci Code by Dan Brown.

Of course, being from England I love author Rosamunde Pilcher. Her characters are the sort of people that you wish were members of your family. All her stories are heart-warming. My husband hates them.

I’m a great Jane Austin fan. She’s another great one for character study.

 

Organizations: I belong to the Town and Country Garden Club and have been a past president.

Otherwise, I’ve picked up a few different things. I used to sing with the Waterbury Chorale, and I belonged to the Croesus Investment Club, but we folded this year.

I also drive for Meals On Wheels.

Most Vivid Memory About Newtown: It was when we moved here during a bad winter. A town plow stopped at the end of our steep driveway and offered to drop off extra sand. I was so stunned! We had moved from a town –– Mahopac –– where the plow wouldn’t even come down our street.

 

Favorite Vacation Spot: The island of Bali.

 

Personal Philosophy: Try and enjoy every opportunity that comes along, and treat other people as you would be treated. Find the good, and concentrate on that.