Occupation: I am retired from the mechanical construction field. I did that for more than 30 years. I was a firefighter with Hawleyville Fire Company for about 15 years and am still a member. I’m also an EMT and served with Newtown Ambulance for about five years.

Family: My wife Susan and I together have four adult children: my daughter Kindra, my son Gordon, my son Michael, and my stepson Chris. I have two granddaughters, Evelyn and Scarlett.

Pets: We have a rescue dog named Pearl who just turned a year old. We take her for training over at Pleasant Paws Pet Center. Dr Valli is a friend of mine — my wife and daughter both worked for him at Mt Pleasant. We also have three cats and one ring-necked parrot.

How long have you lived in Newtown? Between 20 to 25 years. We lived in Trumbull prior, and during that time my daughter went to a camp where she fell in love with horses. We bought a horse and kept it in Monroe. We chose to move to Newtown because we wanted a small farm to have the horse there.

What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy being around the family, especially my granddaughters. Presently, I’m working with Pearl for the obedience training. I also enjoy riding horses, which I do at the horse guard all the time. Another one of my passions is gardening. I built a small greenhouse to get vegetables growing earlier in the year.

What is your favorite book genre? I lean toward reading history books, mostly about American history.

What is your favorite travel destination? I enjoy getting to travel and have spent some time in Alaska, the Caribbean, and Nova Scotia.

What is the best part about Newtown? There are so many good parts. I’d have to say the community, the activities that go on in Newtown that are family-orientated, as well as that our town government is very supportive of its people and is very well run.

What organizations are you part of in Newtown? I’m grateful for where I live and support it the best way I can. I’m a member of the Newtown Building & Site Commission.

I’m retired from the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard in Newtown and was the commanding officer for about seven years. I still keep pretty active with the horse guard and run the Friends of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard, which is a fundraising group to support the horses there. We do a lot with the equestrian community.

After I retired from the military, Dee Davis — the president of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association (NBLA) — asked me to be on the Board of Trustees, so I have been part of that for five years. My daughter and I were part of the Pony Club in Newtown years ago, and so was Dee and her daughter.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My father, Gordon Johnson. He passed away last year. He was 97. He was quite the guy. He always used to tell me, “Do the right thing, not only for yourself but for others.” It’s simple advice, but it is true.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? My father because I do miss him. The perfect day would be for us to go fishing like we used to do together. Also, every week we’d play cards — Skip-Bo and pinochle — so I’d like to play cards with him, too.

What is your favorite musical genre? I like all music — classical, rock and roll, country.

What is your favorite TV show or movie? I am a science fiction fan. Star Wars and Star Trek were great. I enjoy the adventure of it.

What is your favorite food? Eggplant parmesan is my favorite dish and I enjoy making it. I grow my own eggplants in my greenhouse.

What is something you cannot live without? Family and horses.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Seeing my children being independent and successful. I don’t think anyone could ask for anything more. Also, in regard to the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard, when I was the commanding officer there were people trying to eliminate the horse guard. I feel that I — along with some very supportive people and legislators — helped stop that from happening.