Curt Aikens

Name: Curt Aikens.

Age: 57.

Family: Wife, Sharon; daughter, Emma.

Residence: Yuba City.

Occupation: Yuba County Water Agency general manager.

Hobbies, interests: Cycling, skiing, abalone diving, hiking.

Tell us about abalone diving: My brother got me going when I was in high school; I've been diving every year since.

Where do you get your news? Appeal-Democrat, Sacramento Bee and water news off the Internet. And I listen to the radio.

What brought you to the Yuba-Sutter area? My job. I was transferred from Belmont (in the Bay Area) to Marysville in 1993.

What is your favorite part of the area? I like the rural nature, the ability to get out in the country and ride my bike. My favorite route is in Yuba City, up the bike path, then to the Buttes. It's about 26 miles, an hour and a half ride.

What is the closest you've been to a famous person? I shook hands with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The water agency won the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership award in 2009.

What would you do with a million dollars? Travel more with my wife and daughter and friends.

Have you done much traveling? My dad flew for Pan Am, so I had free trips until I graduated from college.

Tell us about a favorite memory: When the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" came out, I knew I had heard the first few notes of music from the alien's ship. I had heard the same sound from a bird when I was in New Zealand before. I would have hated hearing that sound in the movie before hearing the bird.

Who has had a strong influence in your life? My wife...she loves living life.

What did you want to be when you were a kid? Probably I wanted to fly like my dad. He was a flight engineer for Pan Am, started in "flying boats" in 1941 until the 747s.

What is your dream job? I've got it. I'm in a job where I can make a difference for the people of Yuba County.

What would you like to see different in the community? I would like to see the economy improve, so people could have a better lifestyle.

Pet Peeve: Lack of courtesy, lack of attention.

Favorite book: "The Pillars of the Earth."

Where would you like to retire to someday? Where my friends are.