Ethel Dolores "D.D." Cotton was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 15. 1935. Raised in New York City, Cotton arrived in Las Vegas as a dancer in Cab Calloway's traveling production "The Cotton Club." During a period of strained race relations, she stood for equal rights as the first black cocktail waitress on the Strip and one of the first black dealers.

James Cashman Jr. was the son of Las Vegas pioneer James Cashman Sr. and Leah Barker. Like his father, James Jr. was a civic and business leader in the region. The Cashman Family is an inductee of the UNLV Business Hall of Fame.