Charles Heavy Dolan was born on January 29, 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts to Charles H. Dolan and Anne Mainwaring. He attended Mechanic Arts High School, and continued his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied electrical engineering. With the outbreak of the First World War, Dolan moved to England where he worked as an inspector in a munitions factory. In 1915 he travelled to France, where he first worked as an engineer for the Sperry Gyroscope Company before joining the French Air Service in 1916. In May 1917 he was assigned to the Lafayette Escadrille, and later transferred to the American Expeditionary Force in 1918 as an ace pilot.

After the war, Dolan remained in the Army and was involved in flight instruction and training in Florida and Washington, D.C. He was then sent to China, where he spent some time helping to establish the Chinese Air Force, as well as air transport and mail services. In 1921 he married Ramona Frances Morgan, and they had one child. He moved to Hawaii in 1924 to work on map airport locations, and later worked in air transport and aviation. During World War II he was recalled to duty and remained with the Air Force until 1955. He later worked as a consultant to airplane manufacturers, as a safety investigator, and as an advisor to the United States Senate. Dolan retired to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1969, and died there on December 31, 1981.

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (May 20, 1908–July 2, 1997) was an American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. He was a major MGM contract star. He also had a noted military career as a World War II Army Air Corps and Vietnam War Air Force Reserve veteran, who rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.