Years lived in Toledo: 31
Occupation: Therapist, Artistic Director of Issue Box Theatre, Assistant Director Northview High School Plays and Musicals
My story, in one sentence: I was born in Wolverhampton to Irish parents. My mom was from Belfast, and my dad was from Dungannon. I’m the youngest of five children, and I had been a youth worker and I had done two years at Youth and Community College, which was training to be a youth and community worker. Then I did a year at the London School of Theology, basically a year of seminary study, and I came over here to work with the young people in a church when I was nearly 30. Then I ended up getting a religious worker visa, and then I got my green card. Eventually, I became a citizen, by which time I was teaching theater at Toledo School for the Arts. I left there in about 2000… and now at the point where I’ve been in Toledo nearly 30 years.
– The Toledo Library, Toledo Museum of Art and the Toledo Zoo are the places in Toledo I’m most proud of.
– The best meal I had in Toledo was the beans at MaMa’s Kitchen.
– Toledo Pride is my favorite annual event.
– A business Toledo needs (but doesn’t have) is a British food store.
– My favorite piece of local art/architecture is The Soul of Words I & II outside of the Toledo Museum of Art.
– My favorite production I’ve ever been in was The Secret Garden at the Toledo Repertoire Theatre.
– My favorite production through Issue Box Theatre was The Willard Suitcases.
– If I could change one thing about Toledo, I would help encourage people to have appropriate debates and discussions with civility, dignity and reverence.
– The best view in Toledo is the roundabout on River Road with the wonderful fountain and the view of the river.
– When I’m away from Toledo, I can’t wait to have a hug from my wife when I get back.
– If Toledo had a new motto, it would be “We’ve got it all.”
– The most underrated thing in Toledo is our arts scene.
– The most overrated thing in Toledo is the anti-Toledo rhetoric.
– Rob and Casey Koenig are the Toledoans I most admire.
