Laurie Joe Deal wa born on July 3, 1924 in Hickory, North Carolina. Laurie married Rosa Allen on April 26, 1958 and they had three children: David, Stephen, and James.

Deal obtained a bachelor of science degree in science and math from Lenoir Rhyne College.

Deal is associated with the Nevada Test Site as Director of the Civil Effects Group for the Application Englineering Company (AEC) and as a BioMed member of the Nevada Test Site planning board.

Dr. Gaelen Lee Felt was a scientist who was active during the height of atomic testing in the mid-twentieth century. He worked for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Felt worked on the Nevada Atomic Test Site and became deputy director of the site in 1955. He then worked for the firm Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier (EG & G), eventually becoming vice president of the company's technical support group. He served on the Nevada Board of Education beginning in 1965.