Occupation:The museum was there first, then the cartoonist and illustrators there, who lived in Westport and Wilton, started the school later. I freelanced working for a couple publications in Fairfield County, and I used to do ads for papers. After that I took the test for the Norwalk Fire Department and got into that job when I was 20 years old. While I was there, they would come to me to update their graphics and maps, and I would help the fire department shooting and editing their videos. I was there until 2006, when I retired as a firefighter. It has really been full circle, because now I am back to art. The name of my company is Contagious Media. I do virtual tours for Google, and I'm an independent content provider. Right now my occupation is street view developer for Google. After I got out of high school, I went to art school at the Museum of Cartoon Art in Greenwich in 1978. I always had a passion for art. I used to skip classes in high school during the day to go to the museum, because I was a cartoon fan.

Family: I have three children, and my wife is Barbara. My oldest, Niles, is 21, and he is taking journalism in college right now. Ian is a senior in high school and has a job at the Booth Library. Hailey is in ninth grade, and she works at a docent over at the Newtown Historical Society. My wife was working there as the head of the docents years ago, and she is still involved with the historical society board.

Pets: We have a fish named Jeffrey.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been here for 23 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I grew up as a musician playing drums. Every once in a while I get a chance to go to an open mic night. I play with a group called the Hip Replacements with a couple friends of mine.

Do you have a favorite book or author?I follow syndicated comics. I like cartoonists that earmark the absurd. One of my favorite cartoonists was Walt Kelly, from when I was going to school. He was a political satirist. Also, I used to like Doonesbury. I like Calvin and Hobbes - I have all the books.

We had a place up in Vermont, but it burned down. We would travel up to White River Junction and shop there around Thanksgiving. I enjoyed going skiing up at Killington, too.What is your favorite travel destination?

What is the best thing about Newtown? The commitment to service and community. There are a lot of organizations out there looking to make things better for local residents. People are very active to try to make it better for their neighbor. Also, the settings are pretty. I enjoy sitting out on Castle Hill and seeing the rolling hills. Holcombe Hill is a nice spot.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? Mort Walker and Dik Brown, the principals of the [Museum of Cartoon Art], influenced me. All the cartoonists when I was starting out young influenced me, because besides just going to the museum, they would invite me into their homes. I would get to see the life of a cartoonist. It was a normal life, but growing up in Norwalk, in the city, that influenced me of the normalcy of community. Also, local police officers shaped my opinions. I remember Sergeant Sheehan. When I was in elementary school, he would go around and talk to the kids about the straight and narrow. People out in the community and teachers influenced me, too. I liked to learn, so I got so much from everybody.

If you could choose anyone to spend the day with who would you choose and why? I would love to spend the day with great musicians, like Prince and Michael Jackson. Also, I would say Bruno Mars. He's a good musician, and he seems interesting. He's young, and he seems to be following the example of a lot of the old school guys. He's learning and trying to be the best. I would also want to spend the day and play music with George Clinton. He is my generation of funk.