Date: Fri 02-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

snapshot-Joe

Full Text:

SNAPSHOT: JOSEPH GRASSO

Occupation: I'm retired now. I was a teacher for 35 years. After I got out of

the service, I taught for three years in Bethel, from 1957 to 1960, and then

came to Newtown. I appreciate what the town did for me. Many people worked

hard to make my retirement in 1992 a memorable experience. I wish all my

former students good fortune and good luck.

How Long Lived in Town: I have lived here for 38 years. We moved to Newtown in

1960.

Biggest Change in Town: Most people say the traffic. I would say the school

system. When I came to Newtown, there were only three schools, the current

middle school, with the high school in the front and middle school in back,

and Hawley and Sandy Hook.

Family: My wife, Audrey, and I have been married for 38 years, and we have

four children. Joe, 36, is in the Air Force band based in Georgia. Mark, 34,

works for Social Services in Danbury. Michael, 31, is a science teacher in

Fairfield. Amy, 29, is the band director at Shepaug High School.

Pets: We have a cat, Keith, and inherited two of my daughter's cats, Red and

Blue, when she moved home for a while. They got acclimated to our place, and

she thought it was better to leave them with us when she moved out.

Hobbies: I like to collect things. I have a modest collection of baseball

cards, and I've begun collecting Hess trucks. I like to listen to music,

particularly jazz and classical.

Books: I'm more of a visual person since I retired. I did a lot of reading

when I was teaching to keep up on what was new in music and music composition.

I like to read historic books relating to World War II and the battles. I

recently read RAF Marham by Ken Delve, about a base in England used by the 8th

Air Force during World War II. My son brought it back from England. The 8th

Air Force did all the fighting over Germany and France.

Organizations: I am a former member of the board of directors of Nunnawauk

Meadows, and am presently on the Music Development Advisory Committee for the

library. I am the president of the Lions Club for the second year.

Travel: We enjoy camping. We have a small RV. Our favorite spot is Cape Cod.

We go up around Tanglewood in the summer, primarily to go to the Boston

Symphony concerts.

Philosophy: I was not aware of any personal philosophy, but as I thought back

I knew I had to be living by some. The one I relate to the most is always to

accept challenges. It doesn't matter whether you are successful or not, they

are your best memories of the highs and lows in your life. Life's a struggle

basically. People need to face up to the challenges. My biggest challenge was

in regard to my professional life.