Preston Stanley Reese, one of the second set of identical twins born to John and Blanche Reese, was born on July 15, 1920 in Kenbridge, Virginia. After his migration to northern New Jersey with his family in 1925, Preston attended the Bloomfield public school system, where he was active with the school band.
Upon his graduation from Bloomfield High School, Preston, along with his twin, Rollin enrolled at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. Their studies were interrupted, however, when both were drafted into the U.S. armed forces during World War II. Preston was stationed in the South Pacific Territory, where he served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He was sent back to the U.S. mainland for hospitalization after being wounded in action. Upon being discharged from military service, Preston enrolled at Howard University in Washington D.C., where he studied pre-med and earned a B.S. degree. He continued his medical education at the University of Chicago, where he earned an M.D. degree.
Once he completed his medical studies, Preston
relocated to the Philadelphia area, where he served his internship at
Temple University Hospital. He then opened a private medical practice,
which he operated until he returned to northern New Jersey. Once he
arrived home, Preston engaged in medical research at the Columbia University
Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He remained at Columbia
Presbyterian until health problems forced him to retire.
Preston married the former Jessica Herndon, and they raised their children in the Philadelphia area. Upon their separation, Jessica and the children moved to Long Beach, California. Preston resided at the Reese family residence in Montclair, where he succumbed to fatal injuries sustained in an accidental fire in December 1977.
A member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Preston was the first of the Reese siblings to pass away. His wife, Jessie, still resides in Long Beach, California, along with her surviving children, Diane and Judy. Preston is also survived by one son, Robert Reese of Virginia Beach, Virginia; six grandchildren: Terry, David, Jason, and Jenny Reese, and David and Dana Moore; and one great-grandchild.
Preston Reese during his undergraduate studies at Howard University
