Coming from the sandy beaches in Guam to the snow-filled streets of the Northeastern United States, this recent newcomer to Chenango County says moving here was meant to be.

Stephen Winter, originally from Queens county, says although people assume he grew up a “city boy,” he explains there was more to it than that. Winter says he and his family lived where he had the opportunity to explore the woods, learn to sail and row boat along with explore nature and the environment. “I was a city boy with a good association with water and woodlands,” he said.

Winter explains he went to college to study what every other young man wanted to study in the 1950s: fast cars. Winter studied mechanical engineering at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and then headed to Rutgers University in New Jersey before getting a masters and Ph.D. in mechanical/civil engineering.

While working towards his doctorate degree, Winter taught engineering at Layfette College in Easton, Pa., and this he says, is where his adventures began.