Date: Fri 06-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

snapshot-Bill-McAllister

Full Text:

SNAPSHOT: BILL McALLISTER

Occupation: Co-owner of Connecticut Insurance Agency at 1 Glen Road, Sandy

Hook. That's my primary business, but I am also co-owner of Sandy Hook Video,

and I am involved in a variety of small businesses.

As a volunteer, I am a lieutenant with the Waterbury Fire Department, a

captain with the Woodbury Fire Company, and I belong to Newtown Hook and

Ladder. I guess you could say that I love to work. I probably put in 92 hours

a week.

My first love has always been the fire service. I started in Danbury with the

Wooster Hose Company. We lived in the Danbury area known as the `Irish Ghetto'

down by the War Memorial. That's when I first got bit by the fire bug, you

could say. When we were teenagers, everyone hung out at the firehouse and all

of our fathers were involved in Wooster Hose.

I'm a fifth generation Irishman descended from Charles William McAllister, who

came over here from Ireland in 1830. Education has been a big priority for all

of us in my generation, thanks to the example my mother set. My father died

when I was 15.

How long in Newtown: As of February 1, I will have been in the insurance

business here for 19 years. We moved from Danbury to Woodbury 22 years ago,

and I feel like Woodbury and Newtown are just an extension of Greater Danbury.

There are no borders. It's an area I know very well.

Family: My wife, Diana, and I have two children, who both attend St Rose

School. I am the oldest of six siblings so I have a number of nieces and

nephews who mean the world to me.

Hobbies: I like to work out, preferably for an hour a day. I'm into athletics

and built a gym in my barn. You've got to be in shape in the fire service.

Reading is also important to me. I keep up with the technical material on fire

safety and I love to read about Irish history. When I visited Ireland, I found

it was the most peaceful place you could imagine.

Personal philosophy: I believe that I owe something to the people that help me

out each day by supporting my business. Also, I don't know if people really

realize how many dedicated volunteers there are in this town -- and how much

time it takes out of their regular lives. For every minute I go out on an

emergency call, it takes two minutes to make up the time at my job. I try to

remain focused and prioritize.

Give something back. That's always been my family's philosophy.