VALLEY INTEL
BEYOND
BUSY For Dave Roberts, Volunteering Is Like Breathing By Bruce Deckert Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine
WHILE EVERY volunteerism story is worth telling, the numbers connected with one particular Farmington Valley volunteer are simply staggering. David W. Roberts (aka Dave) is a resident of West Granby, a distinct section of the town of Granby — East Granby, meanwhile, is a different town, separate from Granby. By his account, he has served via an astounding 55 boards, commissions, organizations and elected roles throughout his life. In an email to Today Magazine, he wrote in the subject line: “The Energizer Bunny is Real” — a nod to the classic ad campaign for Energizer batteries. Indeed, he is a quintessential example of volunteer vitality in the Valley. Roberts’ family history in Connecticut dates back 13 generations to the early 17th century. His paternal ancestors immigrated from England in 1629 to what was then known as Connecticut, settling in Long Island, which he says was then part of the Connecticut territory. “My uncle, the late Barkhamsted town historian Doug Roberts, told me that when Connecticut was being settled, the land in the northwestern part of the future state was considered harsh, uninhabitable and worthless,” Dave Roberts says. “Many tracts of land were given away or sold very cheaply to entice families to northwestern Connecticut.” Roberts’ ancestors moved to the village of Riverton, part of present-day Barkhamsted, and the nearby area along the Farmington River. The village of Robertsville is named after his family — just northwest of Riverton, Robertsville is part of present-day Colebrook. “Volunteering is in the Roberts family DNA,” he says. Roberts grew up in Riverton in a home built on a former asparagus field. His great-grandparents had the largest 10
Finding 55 Ways To Serve
JANUARY 2023 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE
Dave Roberts at the United Nations — he was the Lions Club representative to the U.N. Council of Organizations in 2022