Date: Fri 04-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Snapshot-Diana-Johnson

Full Text:

SNAPSHOT: DIANA JOHNSON

Occupation: I have been an instructor for Dale Carnegie Training for over 10

years.

How Long Lived in Town: I have lived in Newtown since February of 1973.

Biggest Change In Town: The community spirit. Newtown seems to have such a

great resource of people who are willing to get involved in town. There are

more and more gifts of land to the town. This is critical. So much of open

space is being developed. Land preservation is a wonderful thing. There are a

lot of people involved in the town's annual tree lighting and luminaria, the

Labor Day parade, donating flags for the flagpole, and flowers by the Garden

Club.

Family: My husband, Wayland, has retired as a TWA pilot and management. He is

working on his master's degree in aviation. Our daughter Dawn, 33, is at home

as a full-time mom with her new baby girl. She worked as an aerospace

engineer. Her husband, Morton Robinson, is an aerospace engineer with

Rockedyne, which works on the space shuttle. Our son Mike, 30, is a pilot for

TWA, flying a DC nine. His wife, Cindy, is a pilot for United. Our daughter

Sandra, 27, is a project manager for Massachusetts Financial Services in

Boston. She is single and has been accepted into the pre-med program at

Harvard.

Pets: I have two horses, one-half Arabians, named Lady Jane and Scheherazade.

Our dog, Wags, keeps the deer from eating my tulips.

Hobbies: I enjoy summer boating in Maine. I play tennis regularly and love

gardening. I have planted 250 tulips. I also enjoy horseback riding and am an

avid reader.

Books: I really enjoy new authors. Their style is a surprise. They have a

fresh way of looking at things. One of my favorite books is The Perfect Storm

by Sebastian Junger.

Organizations: My primary involvement is with Janet Woycik in the Christmas

Tree lighting and luminaria. This is our 15th year. The project is supported

by Chamber of Commerce members. The tree lighting will be held December 4 at

6:30 pm. A large committee of volunteers helps with the luminaria. Fifteen

people adopt a certain area to place the luminaries, and others light the

candles around 5 pm. It's gotten easier every year. I am a member of the

Mayfair Book Club, a group of women who meet once a month. I am a member of

the Newtown Business and Professional Women's club. I was co-president last

year and am the co-editor with Liz Arneth for its newsletter, Leader Advocate.

Most Vivid Memory of Newtown: My best memory is of my kids growing up in

Newtown. It's a wonderful town in which to raise a family. My most vivid

memory was the first year of the Christmas tree lighting. We were truly all

novices. We didn't know if the lights would go on when we pulled the switch.

When the lights went on, Janet and I were in tears. You still kind of hold

your breath, even now. There are things that could go wrong, such as if there

has been a storm or winds.

Philosophy: If you have goals, you have to think big. You have to have a plan

and not be bogged down by setbacks. That's part of life and learning.