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Leonard Alfred Kriegel was born July 8, 1920 in Giddings, Texas.

Leonard began his education at Immanuel Lutheran School. He graduated from Giddings High School in 1938 and continued his education at The University of Texas at Austin.

From 1942 to 1945, Leonard served his country in the United States Air Force as a mechanic and flight engineer. His tour of duty was in the South Pacific on the Island of Tinian with the B-29 Air Force Group.

Following his service in the military, he moved to Port Arthur, Texas and worked for Gulf Oil Corporation from 1946 to 1955 in the Laboratory Development Department. On June 8, 1947 he married Margaret Ruth Studtmann. This marriage was blessed with three daughters, Patricia Carol, Deborah Anne and Gretchen Beth.

Leonard and Margaret opened a Men's and Children's clothing store known as Leonard's Fashions for Men in downtown Giddings on May 6, 1955. In 1957 Margaret's Ladies Apparel was acquired, creating businesses known as Leonard's and Margaret's.

In his community, Leonard was active as President and Board member of the Giddings Chamber of Commerce, the Giddings Rotary Club and the Lee County Heritage Society. In 1985 he was elected to the Rotary Hall of Fame and was honored as the "Outstanding Citizen of Giddings." Leonard was a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, He served on the Giddings City Council from 1970 to 1980 during which time he was instrumental in the interior design and furnishing of the new City Hall. His second term of office on the Giddings City Council began in 1993 until 2009. For many years as the President of the Giddings Recreation Association he guided the efforts to provide a swimming pool for the Giddings community. His interest in preserving the history of Giddings was brought to life through the sets he designed and built for the Giddings 100th Geburtstag. Leonard also enjoyed offering his talents to the community through many fundraising efforts.

A back surgery on September 1, 1999, left him a paraplegic, a disability he heroically rose above. The rapid onset of acute leukemia took his life on October 1, 2009.