Melody Hope Stein was born March 26, 1948 in Oceanside, Long Island, New York. She got her education from SUNY Binghamton, Harpur College, and Hofstra University. She taught art education for 46 years, in New York before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1996. She served for fourteen years as the arts director and art teacher at the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Educational Campus (formerly Milton I Schwartz Hebrew Academy) in Summerlin, Nevada.
Stella Champo was born in Moche, Italy on September 16, 1910. In 1912, the Champo family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. The family first lived in downtown Las Vegas, before moving to a small ranch south of the city in 1917. Stella Champo received her grammar school education in Las Vegas, Nevada and matriculated to Las Vegas High School in 1927.