Patrick Tierney Wild is a Bethel native who has served as the town's municipal historian since 1993. He attended kindergarten at the Plumtrees one-room schoolhouse, and is a graduate of both St. Mary Elementary School and Bethel High School. He has a BS degree from Rutgers University and an MA from the College of New Rochelle. He has written articles for the Danbury’s ​News -Times​, ​Bethel Home News​, and ​Bethel Beacon​. He has provided historical information for biographical documentaries on P.T. Barnum for both the Arts & Entertainment Channel and the Discovery Channel. He is the author of Images of America - Bethel​ by Arcadia Publishing, ​Historic Tales of Bethel, Connecticut​ published by The History Press, and is currently at work on a second photographic history of Bethel. He has served on the Bethel Board of Selectmen and as a member of the Bethel Board of Education. He recently retired from his career as a social studies teacher at Ridgefield High School where he taught Advanced Placement courses in both United States History and United States Government and Politics.