Historical Society President Helps Preserve Tolland’s Story

Kathy Bach and her husband Louis C. Bach, VMD, are well-known in Tolland for the Dutch Belted “Oreo-Cookie” cattle on their multigenerational family farm. She’s spent the last 45 years at Lakeview Farm on Leonard’s Corner, where she and Louis, along with their two children and five grandchildren, all pitch in to take care of the cows (and yes, they have names for each one of them!). However, Bach is also a firmly-rooted fixture in other Tolland community organizations, including the Tolland Historical Society.

In addition to her role as President of the historical society, Bach serves as the director of the Old Tolland County Jail Museum, belongs to the Tolland Green Historic Commission and Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, sings in the choir at the United Congregational Church of Tolland and is even a registered Justice of the Peace. Her dedication to the community has garnered her numerous local awards, including the Tolland Citizen of the Year Award, Rockville Chamber of Commerce Education Award and the Channel 3 Jaycee & Jaycee Women's CT Outstanding Citizen Award, among others.

We spoke with Bach about her work with the historical society, what it means to her to be a community leader and why she loves living and working in Tolland.

Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

Patch: What drives you to be so involved in your local community?

Bach: I have lived a life of service as long as I can remember. Whether it was scouting or volunteering in the local hospital as a youngster or being on the executive board of CT Special Olympics and organizing the first weekend event as a young adult, or obtaining grants and restoring historic properties on the Green as a retiree, volunteering my time in addition to my family and professional life has been a part of my make up. Public service is a way we can all give something back to our community.

Patch: You’ve received numerous awards and recognition for your dedication to and leadership in the Tolland community. What does it mean to you to be a leader?

Bach: All my life it has been about service to family, my church and my community. Leadership is about seeing something that needs to be addressed and, if you have the skill set, stepping in to lend a hand. I have been blessed with many talents that have been useful in the community and that is my reward. I love to solve problems.

Patch: You’ve served on elected and appointed boards in Tolland since the early 1980s, as well as on staff in the Connecticut State Legislature. Are there any initiatives from your public service career that you’re particularly proud of?

Bach: While on the Town Council I introduced Ordinances for:

• The Veterans' Recognition Commission, resulting in the development of the Commission, Wall of Honor and encouraged activities for our resident and returning veterans.
• The Special Places Of Tolland (SPOT) Program, an Ordinance to invite volunteers or volunteer organizations to “adopt a spot” around town and maintain it.
• The Memorial Park at Crandall, a place where residents could plant memorial trees or bushes to remember a loved one.

I also negotiated with DOT planners for a planted median on the 195 road project near Fieldstone Common to break up the visual impact of five lanes of asphalt, which were proposed to alleviate traffic backups on I-84 exiting to UConn. In 2003, I worked with the Town Manager, town staff, neighbors and other stakeholders to repair damages to Tolland Green and put forth a plan called the Tolland Green Steering Committee Report garnering Council and town approval.

These successful projects brought stakeholders together in conversation, brainstorming and resolution to the betterment of our community.

Patch: Can you share a bit more about your work with the Tolland Historical Society?

Bach: For 30 years I have been a part of the Tolland Historical Society's mission to “Keep and Tell Tolland's Story.” Together, society volunteers have collected treasures and accounts of Tolland's changing face, from the bustling stagecoach turnpike crossroads of the early 1800s to a rural, agricultural community, to the emerging community we know today.

Raising funds, restoring precious antique buildings, writing grants, recruiting volunteers, initiating a powerful student intern program, creating curriculum for school offerings and public programming, maintaining media platforms, negotiating leases with the town and our tenants, all are part of the job of the society's executive board. I have been honored to serve as President and to work with amazing, dedicated volunteers.

Patch: What is so special about Tolland’s history, and what can the community learn by studying it?

Bach: Closest to my heart is the depth of written information and the photos available at the Tolland Historical Society. The stories told by the society's four museums are just the beginning. The society archives are full of historic writings and personal accounts of events and circumstances in our town.

There really is truth in the saying “learning from the past.” Sometimes we can build on that knowledge; sometimes we simply don't want to repeat it. Local historical societies help establish each town's unique sense of place which in turn allows each of us to establish our own unique home.

Patch: What do you love most about living in Tolland?

Bach: I love people, at whatever place they find themselves. Tolland's demographic is continually changing. I find the trust, respect and “in this together” attitude of past decades to be eroding. I hope that our emerging rural town will continue to nurture the “rural” as it grows. Tolland is a town on ledge, ridge and rock. That allows it to be a haven from strips of commercialism. It's a place where water is our most precious resource after our people. If we remember these important facts, our roots and understand our surroundings, we can grow a healthy community. I love that there is still the spirit of hope here.

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