Leon S Reed

I am a retired career switcher ESOL and US History teacher (Woodbridge HS, VA). Before that, I worked for the US Senate Banking Committee and was a defense consultant. I have always had a passion for military history and particularly the Civil War, and particularly Gettysburg. I don't remember a time I wasn't surrounded by stories of my great-great grandfather, Morgan Snyder, who was in the 55th Ohio and fought at Gettysburg. When I retired, we moved to Gettysburg where we live in a house that borders directly on the National Park. I got a chance to pursue my interest in the Civil War: exploring the battlefield on my bicycle, volunteering for the National Park Service (in their Resource Room, where we help people research their Civil War ancestors, and in the education program), writing and photographing for "Civil War News," Gettysburg magazine, and other publications, and creating the Facebook page "Touring Gettysburg," where I feature my growing collection (approaching 15,000) of Gettysburg photographs. I used these photos to create two books about Gettysburg, "Stories the Monuments Tell: A Photo Tour of Gettysburg, Told by its Monuments" and "The Confederate Monuments at Gettysburg." I'm married to Lois Lembo. Our children are Sam (and Melissa), Steve (and Casey), and Casey. Our grandchildren are Alice, Maya, Walter, and Andrew.