Let's Meet Alison Karam

Alison Karam’s childhood dream was to be an astronaut. As Alison got older, she realized what she really wanted “(besides the exhilaration of zero gravity and floating in space) was to learn and experience as many new things as possible and to see the world from different perspectives,” she explains.

So, Alison took up scuba diving and went into public relations. In her professional life, she is tops in the PR field, having been named Public Relations Practitioner of the Year for Southern New England - but she is much more to the community.

Alison serves as President of the Killingworth Library Association, sings in her church choir, and is a member of the planning committee and moderator team for Haddam-Killingworth Community Conversations on Education.  She has also volunteered as a reading tutor at Killingworth Elementary School.

Staying closer to earth is certainly a good thing for Killingworth. 

How long have you lived in town: Since 1998 

What do you like best about town: I love the rural character, country charm and unique history of our town. It’s a privilege to live in a place where you are surrounded by so much natural beauty and interesting wildlife. People who visit from out-of-town nearly always comment on how peaceful it is here. I’m also a big-time star gazer, and when you walk outside to look at the stars in Killingworth, you see so much more of the night sky because we don’t have streetlights blocking it out. 

What do you least like about town: Drivers who need remedial training on how to properly navigate the rotary.

Where do you work: I have an exciting blend of jobs. In addition to consulting out of my home office, I work for a marketing communications firm in Glastonbury called First Experience Communications and for a public relations agency in the New York area called Viviani Associates. 

What is your favorite:

Place to eat? I love an outdoor picnic by the water or on a mountaintop. But if I could instantly transport myself anywhere in the world, I would definitely become a regular at the Lighthouse Restaurant on Grand Cayman Island.

Place to go shopping? I’m really not a big fan of shopping. For groceries, Robert’s is my favorite. For fun, I enjoy poking around antique stores with my husband because we both appreciate the history.

Place to visit? Wow, tough question. I like to travel; and I’m a certified scuba rescue diver, so I love the clear waters of the Caribbean. Our summer vacation to a B&B in Maine is a family favorite. But we really don’t have to travel far to have a great time – a 15 or 20-minute drive puts us at two of our favorite places: Hammonasset Beach where we can swim and climb the rocks at Meig’s Point – and Chatfield Hollow State Park where we hike the mountain trails and explore the caves. 

Fondest memory of town: Seeing the town through my son’s eyes as we drove from one place to another so he could take the pictures he wanted to include in his 3rd grade History of Killingworth project. We explored places and saw things that connected us in a new way with the town’s past... a 1744 stone marker in a cemetery; a framed photograph in the Killingworth Garage showing cars from the 1920s when the station opened; even a picture of the beach in Clinton to show our two towns were one for more than 170 years and when we split, Killingworth retained the town name as well as rights to use the town dock and beach. That was such a great project on so many levels; I hope the elementary school continues it forever!

A recent accomplishment: Several months ago I won the cartoon caption contest the Hartford Courant runs every Sunday, where they provide the cartoon and you make it funny. It was the only entry I’d ever submitted http://blogs.courant.com/cartoon_captions/2010/09/september-5-2010.html. 

Any personal thoughts you'd like to share with Patch: One memory that makes me smile was when we were buying our house the sellers drove us around town to point out a few highlights. The first place they took us was the new library, which we thought was beautiful with its post and beam design and open, friendly atmosphere. Who knew I’d end up on the library board and be serving my third year as president?!