Russel D. Miller was born on May 16, 1898, in Coon Rapids, Iowa. He received his B.S. (1921) in architectural engineering and his M.S. (1928) in physics from Iowa State College (University). Before working for Iowa State, Miller was an educator at several Iowa secondary schools. He served as a teacher at Dumont High School (1921-1923), the Superintendent of schools at Geneva (1923-1925), and was an instructor at Grant Consolidated School in Nevada (1925-1926). At Iowa State, he served as Instructor (1926-1947) and Assistant Professor (1947-1948) in the Department of Physics. In 1949, he left teaching and moved to Iowa City where he operated a motel. Hazel Mary McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1897. She attended Drake University and married Russel Miller on August 16, 1922. Russel Miller died on February 20, 1967, in Hardy, Arkansas, and was survived by his wife, Hazel. She died in December 1972 and was buried with her husband in the Ames Municipal Cemetery.