Elaine Galatz was born September 1, 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied English at the University of Wisconsin. In 1961, she married Neil Galatz and moved to Arizona. After attending the University of Arizona and Arizona State University for graduate studies and her teaching certificate, Galatz moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and taught at J.E. Manch Elementary. When her husband opened his own law firm in the mid-1960s, she served as the office manager and bookkeeper.
Dr. John Richard Shepherd was born November 25, 1936 to Harley and Mary Shepherd and was raised in southern Illinois. He married his wife, Nancy Shepherd, on June 22, 1963 in Pana, Illinois. His army experiences in Chicago, Illinois and Alabama convinced him and his wife to look for a warm dry climate in which to live, and they relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968.
Dayvid Figler was born August 18, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. He was four years old when the family station wagon reached Las Vegas, Nevada in 1971. Figler’s father soon became a Pan dealer on the Strip. As the family grew, his mother, Barbara, immersed her energies in her children’s activities, Hadassah and Temple Beth Sholom. Figler graduated from Valley High School at the age of 16 and by the age of 23 he was rising in the legal world. He was also a local essayist and poet.