Carolyn V. Hamilton is a former Las Vegas advertising executive and graphic designer. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Hamilton left her hometown in 1964 to be a Playboy Bunny in Detroit, Michigan. After obtaining a degree in commercial art, Hamilton worked in advertising in Los Angeles, California before relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1973. Hamilton continued her career in Las Vegas at Jerry May Advertising, but when that firm dissolved in late 1973, she began working as a cocktail waitress at the newly-opened MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

John Reynolds Klai II was born and raised in Osnabrock, North Dakota. After spending a few years as an accounting major at the University of North Dakota’s College of Business in Grand Forks, an engineering class inspired him to pursue a career in architecture. He returned to Osnabrock, where he worked for his father’s construction company and saved to attend the architecture program at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies in 1977 and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1978.