Occupation: I am the previous owner of Apex Glass and am now serving to assist the new owner, Von Wilson, in the transition. But the short answer is I am a glazier.

Family: I live with my wife of 46 years, Linda, and our 17-year-old grandson, Edwin.

Pets: I have no pets, but Linda has two dogs and one cat.

How long have you lived in Newtown? My family moved to Newtown in 1959 when I was 5 years old, and I went to first grade through high school in town, graduating with the Class of ’71. After Linda and I got married in 1975, we lived in Middlebury for eight years before moving back to town in 1985. But even though we lived in Middlebury, I worked at Apex Glass, so I never really left except for one year living and working in Charlottesville Va.

What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy boating on Lake Zoar and camping with our Airstream. I am a lousy carpenter, but I like building bird houses and bird feeders. They don’t require a lot of the kind of attention to detail that glass contracting does, so it’s a nice change.

What is your favorite book? I think I enjoyed The Hobbit (I share a birthday with Frodo and Bilbo) the most, because Tolkien wrote it intending it to be a children’s book and I’m still mentally 12 years old.

What is your favorite travel destination? The Florida Keys are my favorite and it’s been too long since we were there, but Yellowstone was the best trip.

What is the best part about Newtown? Sandy Hook Village is the best place. Linda and I love to stroll there on Fridays after work for an early dinner. There are so many wonderful choices.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My father, Frank Sr. He taught me so much, but he also allowed me to grow and learn. He had so much faith in my work at Apex.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? Linda. We have so much fun together no matter what we are doing.

Who is your favorite musical artist? The Beatles are my favorite. We’ve seen Paul McCartney in concert twice and for our 40th anniversary we spent a weekend in room 1742 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal where John and Yoko did their Give Peace a Chance Bed In.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Don’t react hastily, sleep on it, and see how you feel in the morning.

What is something you cannot live without? I love pizza and love to try all the different types offered here in Connecticut.

What is your proudest accomplishment? We carried on with the family business through the good times and some very difficult times. I made it to 59 years at Apex and now Von will celebrate Apex Glass, 60 years and still going.

If you could travel to the past or future, which would you choose and why? I would travel back to the siege at the Alamo. I think those people were tremendously heroic against impossible odds and to be a witness and maybe even partake would be something I’ve always thought about.

What is your favorite movie? Lawence of Arabia or A Bridge Too Far are my two favorites, but I’m a sucker for any King Kong movie.

What is something about you that most people cannot claim to have experienced? In 1965, I was goofing around the stream that runs behind Queen Street near Mile Hill Road. There is a little stone bridge and we were chasing frogs and fish. We saw a Copperhead snake and thought we had chased it away. I reached into the water for a fish and the snake must have bit me, but I never noticed until an hour or so later my mom noticed my hand had swollen and had two little puncture marks. We went to Dr Draper and he confirmed I had been bitten by a poisonous snake.