Laura Belle Kelch was born September 1, 1912, in Cincinnati, Ohio and came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1939. Before moving West, she attended the University of Cincinnati and pursued a degree in the field of Applied Arts. Kelch later lived in New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California before finally making Las Vegas her home.
Doris Shoong Lee was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California and was the second of three children. Her family moved to Oakland, California and that’s where she grew up. After Shoong Lee graduated from high school she went on to attend Berkeley University along with her sister. Her father became very interested in the university after both daughters spent time there and consequently he created a scholarship fund for Chinese students. The Lee family then decided to move to China and Shoong Lee and her sister enrolled in Ling Nam University.