You never know when a visit with a friend can change your future. That is precisely what happened to AJ and his wife, Darlena, when they visited The Villages in May 2021. They were excited to visit after much conversation with friends George and Ernestine Tilghman. After a 5 day visit they were convinced that talking about leaving the cold weather, snow and ice of Philadelphia, PA needed to become a reality. Upon returning home, the house was put on the market and sold in 2 days! The internet then became their best friend as they secured a realtor and searched for a home on-line. That hunt was a success and they moved to the Village of El Cortez in August 2021.

A.J. moved from Sumpter, SC with his mother at an early age and was raised in Newark NJ attending Weequahic High School. He continued his education at Trenton State College majoring in Electrical Engineering. It was at Trenton State that he pledged Omega Psi Phi Fraternity in 1976 and to this day he is loyal to the purple and gold!

Post college he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to Ft. Gordon, Ga.  There he earned the rank of Non Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) responsible for radio repairs that could not be repaired in the field. After 8 years of service he returned to civilian life where he worked 6 years for Digital Equipment as a System Support Engineer which led him to the Computer Science Corporation. There he worked on government contracts both stateside and abroad (Ireland, England, Wales and Costa Rica). With that job he always needed to have a “go bag” ready as there could be a short turn around time between assignments.

AJ's next assignment was for 3 years as a subcontractor for General Electric where his civilian designation was GS 13 (Army equivalent to Lt. Colonel) at Hill Air Force Base in Lexington, Utah. After that, he felt it was time for the Jersey boy to return home. He wanted to be closer to his family on the East Coast.  Back in New Jersey he built a computer network for US Box Federal Boxing Association (U.S.B.A.) federation before moving on to the Philadelphia School District in 2005 where he was the Manager for Field Operations. It was on this job that he met Darlena who was a Confidential Secretary to one of the Board Members. She had his direct number to call for any “problems in the system." Having that number may have saved his life In 2011, AJ left work early as he had not been feeling well. Later when Darlena repeatedly called and with no response she contacted a neighbor. The young man broke a window to gain entrance and found AJ in need of medical help. They learned later that he had a stroke.  Fortunately, after a few months in rehab, much Faith in God and prayers and a commitment to ”see it through”, he recovered and has not had any similar problems since then. He remained there until he retired in 2012.

He is a father of 3 daughters, 1 son, 3 granddaughters and 2 grandsons. When he speaks many people refer to him as the voice of James Earl Jones. He has blended in his  base voice with the men's choir in church in Philadelphia.

Since moving to The Villages, AJ has become a regular at Uptown Jammin’ on the 3rd Friday; found a regular poker group; walked with TAAC in the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade; joined the Genesis Health Club and is continuing to learn his way around. Asked what else he might want to do, he said he might give golf a try. Whatever he decides we welcome him to TAAC and wish him the best when he swings that first club. Who knows, a "hole in one" may be in his future.