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Name: Werner Glass

Occupation: Retired chemical engineer with Exxon

Address: Westfield

Family: Married 57 years to Lois, a retired teacher. They have three sons. Alan, a professor of management, is married to Cathy, an accountant for a nonprofit organization. They live in St. Louis, Mo. with their two sons. Don, a chemical engineer, is divorced with two sons living in Naperville, Ill. Ken, an investor married to Sandy, is a commercial artist living in Mercer Island, Wash. with their two daughters and son.

Community activities: Member of Congregation Beth Israel, Scotch Plains. Delivered Meals on Wheels and drove Russian refuseniks to English classes. Lectures on engineering and energy. Spoke on Becoming a Chemical Engineer in China on Sept. 15 to American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Hobbies: "Doing crossword puzzles. Yearly entrant in American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, ranking fifth among seniors in competition. Another hobby is traveling. We've been to all 50 states in the U.S. and now are looking forward to American places we haven't been like Puerto Rico, Guam, American Virgin Islands."

Self-portrait: "I consider myself as being extremely lucky. Look at the number of Jewish kids born in 1927 and how many are still around? I've had a good life, but things were tight after we left for Shanghai, China from Germany. When the Japanese invaded they kicked us out of our apartment and four of us began living in a licensed one-room hotel with only one-room apartments. When my sister married a Jewish American soldier, I was able to come to the U.S. and attend Syracuse University and earn a doctorate in chemical engineering at M.I.T. I've had a great life, great friends, great family good health when so many of my cohort have had few of these benefits."

Motto: "Live so you don't have to apologize for anything."

Greatest accomplishment: "Being smart enough to find a great wife in shul at Syracuse University. We met when I got up from my seat to get her a siddur, then someone took my seat and she had me sit next to her."

Bad habits: "Leaving everything to the last minute and being inherently messy."

Favorite TV: " 'The Golden Girls' and the 'History Channel'. For news I prefer the BBC because their programming includes news from all over the world and what U.S. stations leave out."

Favorite food: "General Tso's chicken."

Best childhood memory: "Winning the fight to read my Maftir and Haftorah at my bar mitzvah in shorts, although I had to wear a jacket and tie. I wasn't so lucky six years later when my sister got married and at 19 I held an end of the chuppah."

People don't know that I... "Studied at the Henry Lester Technical Institute, East Asia Tech and the Universite l'Aurore and most of the college credits earned were not accepted toward degrees at Syracuse University and graduate work at M.I.T."

Last book I read: "I haven't read a book in years. I don't have the patience. I prefer magazines, especially the Atlantic Monthly and Commentary."

The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: "Jewish Family Services, because the work they do is really for all Jews who need their services. There is no attention to differences."

The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: "The lack of meaningful feeling of togetherness, except at fundraising time."

If I had more time: "I'd get more done."