This week's Snapshot features Sam Grummons.

Family: I have four sons, Nathaniel, who is 19; Aaron, who just turned 17; Benjamin, 14; and Asher, 12.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved here in August 2018.

What do you do for work? I work for Cigna Health Insurance. I do AI engineering. I’ve been there for about six months, working with AI systems and building AI pipelines.

Are you an active member of any clubs, organizations, and/or communities of faith? I go every Sunday to Trinity Church. I’ve been there since 2021, and every so often I play the euphonium with our music minister during the services. I really enjoy it there. I am also the treasurer of American Legion Post 202, and the adjutant of Sons of the American Legion Squadron 202 that was just recently formed.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I regularly do crossfit at CrossFit Hook’d. I’ve been doing that since I moved here in 2018. I also enjoy walking around Fairfield Hills. Sometimes I’ll write a little bit of music, and read, and every other Thursday our trivia team plays at NewSylum. We are Beer Is The Mind Killer, and we have a few championships under our belt.

Favorite author? I’ve been reading a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, so of course Tolkien; Brandon Samuelson; Liu Cixin, a Chinese author who wrote The Three-Body Problem, a phenomenal series; Frank Herbert; and I just finished reading Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling.

Favorite movie genre? Sci-fi and fantasy. Our family leans a little heavily on the nerd side. (Laughs)

Favorite TV show? Peacemaker. I really enjoyed seasons one and two.

If you could spend the day with one person, living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Jonathan Frakes. He played Will Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and he’s directed a number of phenomenal episodes. When I’ve seen him talk he’s super cool.

Do you have any pet peeves? No. I value everyone and their quirks.

Favorite color? Green.

Favorite food/dish? All of them. It depends on the mood, whether it’s a nice fancy steak dinner or pizza from one of our great local pizzerias. Thanksgiving dinner is always delicious. Carbs help keep the bad feelings down.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your life? Rachel Held Evans.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Raising my four boys.

What is your favorite thing about Newtown? One of them is The Newtown Bee. Newtown has figured out how to keep a local paper. As mentioned earlier, walking at Fairfield Hills. I love the sense of community here, and the pride that people have in the community. I’ve made a whole bunch of deep friendships here in town. I plan on dying here, but not any time soon.

Do you have a personal credo? Everyone is just trying to make their way through this confusing, dark, broken and beautiful world, just like me.