Civil rights leader James B. McMillan was born in 1917 in Aberdeen, Mississippi and moved to Michigan in 1931 with his family. He finished his high school education in Hamtramck, Michigan where he was the first African-American captain of the football and track teams. In 1936, he opted to enroll at the University of Detroit rather than the segregated University of Michigan. After graduation, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry.

Elaine Cali McNamara was born in Detroit, Michigan. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1953 at the age of 16. She modeled for the Bernie Lenz agency and for local shops and tearooms from the 1950s to 1980s. McNamara started her real estate career in 1982. She became a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). She was trustee of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District from 1981 to 1991 and chair from 1990-1991. As of 2016, McNamara continues to work as a real estate agent and CRS in the Las Vegas Valley.