Walter P. Casey Jr. was born in Plandora, California, which is located in the Imperial Valley at the Southeastern tip of the California-Mexico border. Walter grew up living on the farm where his father grew crops like wheat and alfalfa. In 1942 Walter graduated from the University of California Brawly, and then went on to attend Berkeley for four years. Upon completion, he went on to become a flight navigator for Pan American World Airways during World War II.

"Siegfried (Siggy) Knop, NWS, studied fine arts and motion picture arts at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and taught architectural illustration for twelve years. His own work in the field of fine arts has been exhibited in de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Pasadena Art Museum. In 1951, while still a student, Mr. Knop was accepted into the National Watercolor Society. He remains an active member today.

Lovell Gaines was born in Louisiana and went to Louisiana State University. He moved to Reno, Nevada after serving in the Vietnam war. Gaines taught for one year and then worked for the Nevada Department of Corrections for thirty-plus years. He was extensively involved in the Reno chapter of the National Association for the Adancedment of Colored People (NAACP). Then when he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1975, he ran for and became the local NAACP chapter president. He served as president from 1980 to 1982.