Emma Riis Whittome was born in 1920 on her family's farm located at SW 1/2 Sec. 24 Township 46 Range 18 W2nd. Her parents were Walter Christian Nygaard and Kristina Nygaard (Mark). Her middle name, Riis, was a family name pronounced "Reese". In 1940 Emma married Steven Whittome. The ceremony was held in the Melfort Anglican Church manse. Emma and Steven had two children, Deanna Muriel and Steve Murray. Emma worked off and on as a hired girl and she was a house wife. Emma was interested in collecting and preserving antiques and artifacts. Her interests in this area lead her to become a member of the original committee that worked to open the Melfort and District museum in 1971. She also sat on the museum's board and was a dedicated volunteer.

Ernest Francis Laughton Whitmore was born in 1904 in Winchester, England. He immigrated to the Saskatoon area with his parents in 1911. He graduated from Nutana Collegiate in Saskatoon and then attended the University of Saskatchewan, earning an LL.B. with Great Distinction in 1925 and the Wetmore Scholarship in Law. Whitmore was called to the Bar in 1928. He married Mary Anne MacLean of Saskatoon. After graduating, Whitmore practiced law in Saskatoon with the firm of Sibbald, Caswell and Whitmore. Whitmore was also solicitor for Saskatoon City Hospital from 1935 to 1936 and a legal adviser to the United Farmers of Canada, Saskatchewan section. Whitmore began teaching classes as a lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan in 1929. He was appointed an Assistant Professor in the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in 1939 and was granted a full professorship in 1943. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 1951. He taught at the University of Saskatchewan until 1956, when he left to join Regina law firm MacPherson, Leslie and Tyerman as an Associate Counsel. Whitmore was regarded as a well-known legal expert in Saskatchewan. His obituary in the Saskatchewan Bar Review notes “ ‘Ernie’ Whitmore will be remembered by scores of his students for the meticulous way in which he organized his material, his encyclopaedic knowledge of the case law and for his willingness to spend hours of his time discussing legal problems with his students.” (Volume 29, Issue 3, September 1964, p. 142) Whitmore died on August 16, 1964 at the age of 60.