Occupation: I retired from Madison Middle School in Trumbull this past June, where I was a school counselor for 18 years. Before that I was a middle school teacher in Easton and Brooklyn, N.Y. I am a licensed practical counselor, so I’ve been doing some private counseling and consulting since I retired. I’m also a singer/guitarist. I’ve been doing workshops and keynote speaking, using music to reach people, and I’m having a ball doing it. Retirement is an opportunity to work on things I want to. I was supervisor in the counseling unit at Fairfield University for five years, and now I’m teaching a couple of courses in the counselor education program there.

Family: My wife, Josie, who also retired this past June from Middle Gate School, and our two children. We have Eddie, who lives in Los Angeles and is a filmmaker, and our daughter Laurie and her husband live in Southbury with their four little kids.

Pets: My daughter has dogs and cats, so we don’t need to have any at home. If I have that “hunger” for a pet, I just hang out at Laurie’s.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been here for 25 years and I love Newtown.

What do you like to do in your free time? I have recently joined the Newtown Lions Club and I’m already the chairperson for the 2008 duck race. I’m the immediate past president of the Connecticut Counseling Association and I am the co-chairperson for the May conference. I write my own songs that I use in my presentations; two were used in HB movies, Chain Camera and The End. I love movies and entertainment and going to concerts. I was also elected chairperson for the American Counseling Association North Atlantic Region recently. I’m also on the board of directors for Advocates for Change, a nonprofit that does antibullying projects for schools.

Were you influenced by any musicians? A lot of them. As a little kid, of course, I was influenced by Elvis. The next influence was probably Chuck Berry and anyone from my generation had to be influenced by The Beatles, and of course, Bob Dylan.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? I love California, and we do go there a lot. We went to France this past fall to celebrate our 40th anniversary. France was great. But we went to Italy about ten years ago and we really loved it.

What is the best thing about Newtown? That it’s not too congested and I hope it never gets that way. The people here really care about and respect the community, too. There’s a hometown flavor and hometown pride you don’t always feel other places. It’s a very balancing environment.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? I would like to see more compassion and people reaching out for each other.

Do you have a personal philosophy? I stole it from author Scott Peck: Life is difficult. Once you accept that life is difficult it is no longer difficult. You see life as a series of challenges. My father also had that philosophy, that life is not fair and you have to understand that.

What is the most important lesson you have learned? To dream. To reach for goals.