James Barrie was born on August 14, 1904 in Morden, Manitoba. He was educated in Manitoba and in British Columbia. Early in his life he moved to Pelly, Saskatchewan were he was a general merchant from 1922 to 1948. He worked as a general insurance agent from 1950 to 1958. He was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature as a Liberal MLA for the Pelly constituency in the general election of 1956, re-elected in 1960, defeated in 1964 and re-elected in 1967. He was appointed Minister of Natural Resources on December 21, 1967. Barrie was a member and past Master of the Kamsack Masonic Lodge AF & AM. He died in 1976.

Frank Laurie Barron was born on March 13, 1942. He received a B.A. (1965-66) in history, M.A. (1968), and M.Phil (1970) in Canadian history, all from the University of Waterloo, and a Ph.D. (1976) in Canadian social history from the University of Guelph. Prior to his appointment at the University of Saskatchewan, he was an assistant professor at Brandon University (1976-1982). He was appointed as an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan in 1982, as one of the founding members of the Department of Native Studies. He was the head of the department from 1985-1991. He was the founding editor of the Native Studies Review (1984-1995), published at the University of Saskatchewan, and resumed duties as editor in 1999. His books include Walking in Indian moccasins: the native policies of Tommy Douglas and the CCF (1997); Urban Indian reserves: forging new relationships in Saskatchewan (1999, edited with Joseph Garcea); and 1885 and after: native society in transition (1986, edited with James Waldram). He died in Saskatoon on January 11, 2000.