Seven decades as a McKinney resident, volunteer and historian have earned Helen Gibbard Hall the respect, affection and sheer awe of all those who cross her path.

A passion for children, education and history have guided Mrs. Hall's tireless efforts and noteworthy achievements in her adopted hometown. A native of Oklahoma, she married Capt. Roy H. Hall of McKinney, and it was here that they chose to raise their five children and share their many gifts.

In the 1940s, Mrs. Hall, along with other women from the First Christian Church, worked with children at a migrant workers' camp in Princeton. Ten third-grade classes at Finch Elementary School also benefited from her wisdom and guidance.

The Halls were instrumental in the formation of the Collin County Historical Society as well as the acquisition and development of the Collin County History Museum, where Mrs. Hall continued to volunteer well into her 90s. The museum recognized their contributions by establishing the Capt. Roy and Helen Hall Guild.

Mrs. Hall also was an early president of the Heritage Guild of Collin County, which manages McKinney’s Chestnut Square Historic Village. Her willingness and commitment to local historical and genealogical research have been rewarded with the naming of the Helen Gibbard Hall Genealogical Area at the McKinney Memorial Public Library.

Authoring and publishing books is just one more of Mrs. Hall’s many accomplishments. She completed and published Collin County: Pioneering in North Texas, a book her husband had begun, and had a hand in the publication/reprinting of several other historical volumes. Her latest effort, McKinney: How It All Began, is due to be released this year.

It is no wonder that Helen Gibbard Hall has been called “The Mother of McKinney.” Her generous contributions and her memory and recollection of local history make her a true Texas treasure.