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.

In 1972 while still at Lafayette, Winter learned he was not going to be tenured due to the fact there were so many senior professors already on staff. He explains he loved the water, wanted to continue to study under the American flag and live somewhere warm. Winter packed up and headed to Guam to study at a school there that was developing an engineering training program. “The program was more hands-on instead of research-oriented; it fit my needs better,” he said. “The locals there were great as well. They were very enthusiastic about me coming there.”

After arrival on the island, Winter says the politics of it all changed a bit. “After I got there, the program I went there for moved to the technical school.” This did not please him. “Here I was in my dream location and then the job I was hired for changed,” he said.

In time, Winter says he learned a water research grant became available to the university and they were in need of someone to run the water research center. Winter says he was begged to stay and soon agreed to give it a try on the agreement that his time spent doing research only would be limited.