Date: Fri 16-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

snapshot-Willian-Denlinger

Full Text:

SNAPSHOT: S. William Denlinger

Occupation: I have been an attorney since 1968. I have had an office in

Newtown since 1970. I have a general practice with a large part of it devoted

to land use law.

How Long Lived in Town: I have lived here since 1968.

Biggest Change in Town: The biggest change is obviously the growth of the

town. I've lived in Connecticut for 50 years. Every town is experiencing

growth problems. Some handle it poorly without planning for it. You can't stop

growth. You have to plan carefully for the future. I believe Newtown is now

trying to plan for the future. If you had asked me 15 years ago, I would have

said it wasn't.

Family: My wife, Pat, and I have been married for 38 years. She's a bookkeeper

and does title searches for my office. She spends most of her time being

grandma. We have four children, Carley, Jim, Julie and Diane. Carley and her

husband, Harry, live in the Washington, D.C. area. They have three sons,

Michael, Daniel and William. Jim and his wife, Tracey, have a new baby girl,

Julia. They live in Seattle. Julie and her husband, Dean, have a son, Matthew,

and daughter, Emily. They live in West Point, N.Y. Diane is engaged and lives

at home. All three of my daughters are attorneys and married or engaged to

attorneys. I had the opportunity to administer the oath to Diane when she was

sworn in as a lawyer last Friday in Danbury. Jim has an MBA and works at a

bank. My grandkids call me "Big Bill."

Pets: We have a mutt named Stella that we got from the Danbury pound, and a

cat named Odie.

Hobbies: I like to read, play golf and volunteer where I see a need. I

volunteered legal help for the library addition and Habitat for Humanity. I've

played golf at Rock Ridge Country Club for 22 years. We graduated from UConn

so my wife and I are big Husky fans. We also like to go out to dinner fairly

often.

Books: I belong to a men's book club, the Cellini Society. I read the New York

Times, News-Times and The Newtown Bee, and magazines for relaxation. I like to

read mysteries and adventure novels.

Organizations: There is a great spirit of volunteerism in this community.

There is a turnover on boards, and new people do come forward to serve. I am

vice president of the Lions Club, and a former member of the Jaycees. I am a

former member and chairman of the Board of Education and the Parks and

Recreation Commission. I am a former council member.

Travel: Recently our travel is more related to visiting the kids and

grandkids. We've been to Africa and the Carribean. My favorite place was

Zimbabwe. We visited a friend of mine when he was the American ambassador

there. I was surprised at the scenery and how clean the country was. It was

totally unlike how we think a third world nation would be. They have huge game

preserves there. We were flying over a city that was about the size of

Newtown, and it had a sewer plant and modern conveniences. At that time,

Newtown didn't even have sewers.

Philosophy: I generally believe most people are good and have good characters,

and, if we look hard enough, we can find them. If you can help and do your

share, and making a contribution, you're happier and your family is happier.

In contributing, you get as much out of it as you give.