Journalist and photographer Sherwin "Scoop" Garside was born in Tonopah, Nevada in 1915. He was the son of Frank Garside owner of many newspapers, including the Las Vegas Review which became the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 1929. Sherwin Garside moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when his father purchased the Las Vegas Review in 1926. Garside graduated from Las Vegas High School where he earned the nickname "Scoop" writing for the school newspaper, The Desert Breeze.
Patricia Mulroy was born in Frankfurt, Germany on February 24, 1953. As a young girl, she lived in several different countries, but always felt that the United States was her home. Her experiences abroad led her to develop a fascination with government work and state service. She arrived in Nevada in 1974 to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 1989, Mulroy became the general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District. She entered the field at a tumultuous time, facing the drought of the Colorado River and tension within the districts.