Gilbert Lewis Hetherwick (1920-2008) was the son of Septimus and Addie Gilbert Hetherwick. The family moved from Winnsboro, Louisiana, to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1921. He graduated from C. E. Byrd High School (class of 1938) and Centenary College of Louisiana (class of 1942). At Centenary, he served as president of the Student Government Association, president of the Kappa Alpha Order (Alpha Iota chapter), and editor of the school newspaper. After graduating from college, Hetherwick participated in military training at Camp Beauregard near Pineville, Louisiana. He was discharged from the army in January 1946. He married Joan Gibbons in May 1946. In September 1946, Hetherwick enrolled in Tulane University Law School (New Orleans, Louisiana). Hetherwick worked as a partner and director of the Blanchard, Walker, O’Quin and Roberts law firm in Shreveport, Louisiana.