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SNAPSHOT: MARK DENNEN

Occupation: National sales manager and a corporate director of JSR

Microelectronics, Inc, a Tokyo-based company. I travel a lot. After years of

having an office in my home in Sandy Hook, I recently opened an office in The

Mill, the former Fabric Fire Hose building on Glen Road.

How long in Newtown: Since 1982.

Family: My wife, Susan, and our children, Patrick, who will be 17 on May 8,

and Erin, 13«. Patrick is a senior at Newtown High School; Erin is in eighth

grade at St Rose. We also have a 14«-pound male cat named Fluffy.

Biggest Change in Town: The rampant building. When we moved here in 1982,

there were only eight houses (on the market) that the realtors could show us.

Now there's a trend to develop every fallow piece of ground. Many people have

water (supply) problems because of development, but nobody seems to care. I'm

not anti-growth but people should consider the impact on the neighborhood

instead of just how much money the land will bring.

Hobbies: I like to run, and run competitively in races. I often run with

Patrick, who is on the Newtown High School cross country team. Last year I ran

in The Hood To Coast, a 195-mile relay from Mt Hood to the Pacific Coast. My

team finished 72 out of 875, but Brian Fullem, the foot doctor in town, was on

the second-place team. When I turned 40 three years ago, I bought a piano and

I am learning how to play. I'm also interested in genealogy and have

reproduced and framed old family photographs. My father gave me the original

deed to the family farm in Pennsylvania which my great-great-grandfather

bought after he came to the United States in 1847 because of the famine in

Ireland.

Books: I go in spurts. I'll read a lot of Civil War books, then I'll go on to

other types by authors like Ken Follett. Currently I'm reading Cold Mountain.

Organizations: I belong to the Knights of Columbus, Virgilius Council 185 and

am in my third, and last, year as Grand Knight. The Knights of Columbus is a

worldwide Catholic men's organization which was founded in 1881 by the Rev

Michael J. McGivney, curate at St Mary's parish in New Haven, because the

Irish couldn't get life insurance and widows and children were being left

destitute. The Knights isn't a social organization; its members don't want to

take time away from their families for that. But they will donate their time

to help others. In Newtown we have a program called "...at Our Gate" which

provides help, mostly, as it turns out, for women -- widows, single moms -- of

any faith. We do a lot of home repairs like putting on new roofs, painting.

Sometimes it's hard to get people out for the first time to do it, but once

they see what a few hours (work) on Saturday can have on someone's life, they

become enthusiastic volunteers. On April 4 at 6:30 pm we are sponsoring a

charity benefit basketball game night with the St Rose Home & School

Association at the high school gym. The event is $3 for adults, $1 for kids,

and there will be lots of events for the whole family. The big prize will be a

half-court shot that could win a new car for some lucky person.

Personal Philosophy: To quote St Vincent de Paul, "He who serves the poor

serves Christ." It is important that everyone sets aside a part of each day to

help others. You don't have an understanding of yourself until you help

others. And unlike the story in the Bible, the needy don't always lie at your

gate. You often have to seek them out and offer your help.