Photo: Gwen Hebron Reese and her husband Marshal Reese

Gwendora Lucille Hebron was born to Lawrence Augustus Hebron and Ada Elizabeth Johnson Hebron on November 17, 1941.  She was reared in Sugarland, a small settlement in Poolesville, Maryland, located in upper Western Montgomery County Maryland.  Her grandmother, Nettie Branison Johnson , the community mid-wife, delivered her in what once had been the home of her great grandfather, Patrick Hebron.  Gwen’s mother sent her 10-year old daughter, Anna Mae Hebron La Master, into the night with a lantern, to Mama Nettie’s house to come deliver Gwen.  Anna has since told Gwen that she was none too happy about traveling over the fields, in the dark alone, to reach Mama Nettie.  In the midst of the trauma, Anna was feeling a special bonding and protectiveness toward her sister, especially upon seeing her and realizing the role that she had played in the birthing experience.  Their close-knit relationship remains unchanged.

Gwen attended Sellman Elementary, in Dickerson, Maryland; Edward U. Taylor Elementary, in Boyds, Maryland; Lincoln Jr. High, in Rockville, Maryland; and graduated from Carver High, in Rockville, Maryland, as a licensed Cosmetologist, in 1959.

She worked for Cardoza Sisters Beauty Salon in Washington, D.C.

She served in the United States Women’s Army Corps.  She received basic training in Ft. McClellan, Alabama, and served as a librarian at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Gail Bradshaw and family of Rockville, Maryland, played a key role and continue to be entwined in Gwen’s life as a mentor and friend.  Gwen baby sat for the family for a number of years.  Gail encouraged and helped Gwen get into Montgomery College, launching her career in the field of Early Childhood Education.  Gail and her four children (two Ph.D.s, a lawyer and an executive recruiter) love and admire Gwen.  Though they are scattered across the globe, they try to see Gwen whenever they are in Rockville and get her to visit them when possible.

Gwen is an alumnus of Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, where she studied in the field of Early Childhood Education.  She received the Chancellor’s Honor Award in recognition of outstanding academic achievement in the spring of 1980. 

Gwen is trustee for The Historic Saint Paul Community Church and President of the Sugarland Ethno History Project, Inc.  She has devoted considerable time and personal resources to the restoration of the historic church, the collection of artifacts, and the preservation of the history and documentation of the Sugarland Community.

Gwen is currently on staff at the Marriott Child Development Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Gwen’s hobbies consist of collecting thimbles (both souvenir and antique), reading, writing, and research.