Margaret “Peggy” Casey was born in Louisville, Kentucky where her father was the city editor of the local newspaper. Peggy attended college at the University of Wisconsin during World War II. After graduating, she worked for an aeronautical company, Curtiss-Wright, where she helped build planes for the war.

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.